The Nation Newspaper

Category: Entertainment

  • Tiwa Savage debunks rumour pregnancy

    Tiwa Savage debunks rumour pregnancy

    RECENTLY, Tiwa Savage has been in the news: from her engagement to her personal manager, to her shopping spree in the United Kingdom for her wedding slated to hold this month, to her interview on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

    The news making the rounds at the moment is that the singer is pregnant and might be in her first trimester.

    During a question and answer session at Tyme Out with Tee A at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, she said in response to an inquiry from one of the magazines about her bulging stomach, saying it was too much puff puff that made her stomach appear bigger than normal.

    At the moment, she is believed to have calmed down the rumour with her response.

    But like they say, time will tell.

  • Chika Chukwu shoots video in New York City

    Chika Chukwu shoots video in New York City

    ACTRESS, TV presenter and singer, Andrea Chika Chukwu, is about to release the video of her song, Music from the Soul, which was shot in New York City. Written by herself and another singer, Aramide, Chika says that the neo-soul jazzy song was borne out of the need for something that was deep enough.

    The concept behind the video, according to the actress, was to key into that warm feeling of New York in the summer time. “That feeling of the calm, classy look that New York brings too you; that was what I wanted. I also wanted to put in the whole African print,” she speaks of the video, the making of which is trending on YouTube.

    “It has been a solo journey. I have been responsible for the financing so far, I had a very good team to work with and I am proud of the work I have.” The video was directed and produced by Stacey Holman, “From the time Stacy and I first spoke, we hit it off, she was amazing from then till the video was done and I am looking forward to working with her again.”

    She started out singing with Eedris Abdulkreem, also played with the late Sammie Needle and his band but her first solo effort was the soundtrack for Jeta Amata’s movie titled Tears of a Woman. Some of the flicks she has featured in include Kunle Afolayan’s Phone Swap, Mlidred Okwo’s TheMeeting and Uche Jombo’s Unconditional, amongst others.

  • It’s sad Awards are based on hype in Nigeria

    It’s sad Awards are based on hype in Nigeria

    Some have it all: youth, beauty, zest, brains, talent, name it and the Izuegbunem twin sisters, Chigozim and Chinweike, who go by the moniker Spicey Chisquare appear to just have it in a large dosage. Just barely out from the University of Benin and with the National Youth Service Corps still ahead of them, the TV presenters, singers, and promoters already have two lines of entertainment businesses: SPICEY for their music endeavours and the more widely-recognised CHISQUARE for their other non-singing entertainment business. The crooners of Aha and All For You who are gearing up to plunge into mainstream recognition speak to The Nation.

    WHAT’S your style of music? Spicey’s music is a blend of Afropop/RnB laced with lush synth (for synthetic) arrangements, exciting bass drum patterns and soothing harmonies. With videos and more singles anticipated under CoucicEnt, Spicey is set to plunge into mainstream recognition.

    Tell us about your foray into entertainment as a whole

    Chisquare as a brand started off as music and entertainment presenters with the Independent Television Benin, hosting red carpet events and serving as judges of reality shows (Naija Sings, other talent shows and a couple of pageantries) in the South-south region. We also worked as promotion managers for various musical artistes in Nigeria under a media company COUCIC entertainment. We have contributed to the industry with various encounters we have had working with musicians and producers, making an impact in terms of vocal prowess, style, delivery and lyrical contents. Also, the kind of sound that we offer is imperative to the style of music which would move the music industry to the zenith.

    Firstly, we began working as pro (promotional) managers in the South-south/east regions for Sunny Neji on his Off da hook album. While on it, we walked into a TV house, ITV Benin, to distribute materials when we met someone who took us directly to the Executive Director’s office. We did a brief introduction as to why we were at the station and right there on the spot, after a few conversations, we were handed the show “Take 22”. From that moment, the show became affixed to Chisquare and also “Girl’s Talk “on radio. It showcased musical videos as well as artiste profiling, interviews, etc. It aired on ITV Benin, Abuja and environs. The reason the show ended was simply because we needed to grow and also needed a better platform which we are currently working on alongside music. We have also done a few adverts involving both modelling and voice-overs.

    Is music a passing phase or will you combine it with other careers?

    We are goal-getters, talented, very creative, focused and would feel absolutely no stress in combining various aspects of entertainment with other things at the same time as we grow. We are open to challenges. We both studied Environmental Science. Nothing has and will affect that part of us as environmentalists. We aim to study further and hopefully run our own company someday.

    Definitely, we will love to broaden our horizon by combining music with other jobs that revolve around entertainment which we consider a lot more effective.

    When and how did you get into music?

    The year 2006 was when it dawned on us that we had an attractive, unique and natural stage personality combined with proficiency on the job.

    Our specialty as Spicey is our music and we also are part of a growing media company “COUCIC entertainment” which offers services ranging from promotion, distribution of materials for artistes, music and general business consultancy and event management.

    Does the lack of professional instrumentalists in Nigeria not hamper your efforts?

    Music in general has hugely evolved over the last few decades with the influence of pop on basic genres. This in turn is gradually obliterating the orthodox approach of full instrumentation/orchestration. However, the danger here is that our age is speedily giving birth to lazy musicians. Therefore, our opinion is that we pay more attention to the core of musicianship, encourage rudimentary music and mastery of the art in as much as fusion is the current trend. The American music industry doesn’t joke with this; even the rappers get to perform with live instruments as often as possible. We will work with what is available and try to improve or raise the performance bar.

    What about the dearth of international record labels in the country?

    Well, setting up indigenous (they actually called it “indie” which to me meant the American actor, Indiana Jones) record labels happens to be the most viable option for artistes nowadays as no one wants to keep waiting endlessly for a big label to push them.

    The few “big” labels in Nigeria are doing decently well, but not enough of them to accommodate the tons of artistes. Marketing our music beyond the shores of Africa has never been a walk in the park as Alaba Market happens to be the major means of CD distribution; but thanks to new alliances being formed by our artistes and world-acclaimed stars (D’banj/Kanye West, Psquare/Akon etc.), it can only get better. The impact of the internet (social media, iTunes and all), have been immense too.

    But must artistes be involved in selling their CDs?

    It isn’t entirely true that all artistes in Nigeria are directly involved in selling their CDs (except if it is based on personal strategy). The only challenge is that a lot of money is involved when it comes to promoting and pushing materials to the target audience, hence the need of getting a marketer. The task is, however, easier for artistes who are signed under financially stable labels. But a lot of ripping off is on out there and that makes a lot of artistes to be directly involved in sales or at least to somehow monitor this aspect.

    Do we really have a reliable data of various artistes’ CD sales?

    This actually is an age-long saga. Unlike in the U.S where the billboard says it all, no one bothers to know what the true records of CD sales are and so too the impact an artiste has at the grassroots. Awards and recognitions are largely based on just media hype and on-line buzz; and this is sad.

    Has show business clashed with your academics?

    We never had any problems combining what we did/doing with academics. As God would have it, we both studied the same course as well as worked in the same field, so it was advantageous.

    Conversely, has being entertainers helped you in anyway?

    It has helped overwhelmingly. Being on the entertainment scene wasn’t detrimental to achieving success educationally. The support we got just because the public could recognise our faces has been tremendous and we are grateful to God for that.

    Has your being twins helped too?

    Oh yes, it is about the “twin factor” most times. It has opened a lot of doors faster than normal. It’s the same for other multiples out there; we are basking in the euphoria of being who we are – twins.

  • Maheeda lashes back at Charles Novia

    Maheeda lashes back at Charles Novia

    CHARLES Novia recently gave gospel singer, Maheeda, a piece of his mind in an unflattering article titled “Maheeda’s maladjustment” for posting racy pictures on social media.

    Following the stern criticism, the songstress took to her twitter account to let him know how she felt about the matter. Her recent tweets gave an indication that the criticism did not go down well with her.

    Charles Novia is just an attention seeker like me! But he is so much a hypocrite to admit his! He writes bad about people to get attention.

    I really can’t tell the deference between me and Charles Novia, only that he has no pussy to put on net so he decided to talk about mine!

    My reply to Charles Novia, he is just a movie producer that his career is dying he needs to write about me to be relevant! Make me a movie!

  • My NYSC certificate is not fake – —Nuella Njubigbo

    My NYSC certificate is not fake – —Nuella Njubigbo

    NOLLYWOOD actress, Nuella Njubigbo, who recently tweeted that she has completed her mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme had people wondering if the certificate is genuine since she got into school, graduated and got posted for her youth service in what they say is less than the time it normally takes to complete the programme.

    In a press statement, she said, “All I can do is to laugh at them. They should come and take the certificate away from me na. I don’t know why they like writing controversial stories about me. Maybe they have seen something interesting or fascinating about me though. I’ve been too busy to answer the critics because immediately I finished my compulsory one year NYSC, I threw myself back to my work and have been moving from one location to another to complete my outstanding works and take up new roles.”

  • Who wants Van Vicker dead?

    Who wants Van Vicker dead?

    THIS is not by any means the only celebrity internet death hoax. Artistes like 2face Idibia, Baba Suwe have one time or the other been “killed” on the cyberspace. A new report claims Ghanaian actor, Van Vicker, lost his life from injuries sustained from an accident on his way to church on Sunday.

    The saddest part is the rumour started on a fake Facebook account of his colleague, Nadia Buari. The fair-skinned actor who recently celebrated his wedding anniversary has debunked the rumour. He wrote on his Facebook page.

    “There is a post on an imposter’s page that I had an accident this morning on my way to church and I might die from bleeding. It is a rumour and a stunt to drive traffic to that page. I am well and in great health. JeHoV dey by my side. StayEeasy.”

    Van added, “These people have speculated my death more than 10 times. I do not know what they want but it could be they just want me dead. They can’t kill me. I am not even in the country, so how can anyone say I had an accident on my way to church this morning? I am fine and very healthy. There is nothing happening to me.”

  • Behind Nosa’s Why You Love Me video

    Behind Nosa’s Why You Love Me video

    SHOT in the heart of Lagos Mainland, gospel artiste, Nosa, recently released behind-the-scenes photos from the video shoot for his new hit single, Why You Love Me. Released earlier in August 2013, the song was written and produced by Nosa himself.

    The artiste says that the song not only depicts the love of God but also serves as a template for anyone who has experienced love and wants to talk about it. The exciting dance video portrays happiness experienced from God’s love with a theme around various Nigerian cultures. The sounds are a blend of the South-south region with Edo, Delta and Eastern infusions.

    The video also featured cameo appearances by Audu Maikori and Paul Okeugo of the Chocolate City Group. Mex of Pixel Chaos, who also shot Ice Prince’s Oleku and MI’s Safe, directed the video.

  • Fighting piracy, according to Iyanya, Davido, KC, others

    Fighting piracy, according to Iyanya, Davido, KC, others

    IN the face of the unchecked scourge of piracy, Nigerian artistes are now smiling to the banks and getting the deserved royalties for their creative abilities from the MTN Callertunez service as they now use the platform to monetise their songs.

    This, according to findings, is because the MTN Callertunez service has grown to become one of the safest and largest distribution platforms for music content in Nigeria, having over 17 million subscribers patronising the service. This number holds a yet unbeaten record in the telecommunications industry.

    Many Nigerian artistes now see the MTN Callertunez service, which was launched in 2008, as one of the inimitable ways to monetise their creative content and offer solutions to the distribution problems, facing the Nigerian music industry. Besides, it’s impossible for the service to be duplicated or pirated. With its wide outreach to millions of subscribers, the service has a library of over 12, 000 Callertunez. This library warehouses Callertunez, of various artistes, including those of Nigeria’s leading artistes like Iyanya, Davido, Kcee, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid, Chidinma.

    Iyanya’s hit track, Kukere, which was released on December 11, 2011, was the first to cross three million downloads on any mobile telecommunications network in Nigeria, thus making the MTN Project Fame maiden edition winner to continually smile to the bank. Worthy of note, Kate Henshaw’s song, Treasure, is the most downloaded tune on the MTN Callertunez service.

    Talk-of-the-moment song, Skelewu, by Davido, has become the tune of many MTN Callertunez subscribers, with over a million downloads. The song, which is making waves, is also using the MTN Callertunez service to create popularity. This week, the tune is occupying sixth position on the MTN Callertunez Weekly Top 10. Following the Skelewu king, Davido, is the Limpopo master, KCee. Kcee’s song, Limpopo, has also become an anthem to many Callertunez subscribers.

    Other songs making it big on the MTN Callertunez are: Tiwa Savage’s Eminado, Wizkid’s Jaye Jaye, Jaywon’s Odun Yi and the legendary Fela’s Water No Get Enemy, among others.

    Apart from Nigerian artistes making it big through the platform, subscribers are also smiling as MTN Nigeria has started rewarding them with expensive smartphones and other exciting gifts. To further excite and make it easier for customers to discover their favourite songs on MTN Callertunez, the Chief Marketing Officer, MTN, Larry Annetts, has stated that a Facebook app and a smartphone app for the service will both be launched before the end of the year.

  • The crown, the hero and the pomp

    The crown, the hero and the pomp

    IN most societies of the world, celebrations and great feasting always follow great achievements. And so on the 2nd of November, 2013 the stage was set, the drums rolled out and the canons ready to boom. From far and near, people came; kings, queens, royalties and families and friends, gaily-attired, they gathered to celebrate their own.

    The venue was Akwa Ibom State-owned prestigious Le Meridian Hotel and Golf Resort. The ambiance was resplendent, fit only for royal ceremonies. Cameras clicked as dignitary after dignitary, entertainment personalities, captains of industries stepped on the red carpet. The buffet had impressive display of assorted delicacies and more than enough chilled bottles and cans of the ultimate beer.

    The occasion was the victorious return of the twelve warriors who had spent 28 days in the jungle of Usaka where they battled and conquered the rough terrain and harsh weather elements in search of the 10th Symbol. It also doubled as the grand finale of the 10th anniversary of Nigeria’s longest running realty TV show, The Gulder Ultimate Search (GUS). 29-year-old graduate of Electronics Engineering and Arochukwu (in Abia State)-born Dennis Okike had returned with the 10th Symbol while 21-year-old fragile-looking Ifunanya Onike stood beside him as the last woman standing; great feats which call for celebrations fit only for kings.

    Gradually, the hall filled to its capacity as guest after guest graciously made their way to their seats and settled for what turned out to be an evening of pure fun and fanfare. In attendance were the host governor, Obong Godswill Akpabio; his deputy, Dame Valerie Ebi and some members of his cabinet. Dr Raymond Dokpesi, Chairman DAAR Communications, Nicolaas Vervelde, Managing Director, Walter Drenth, Marketing Director, Kufre Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviserand Emmanuel Agu, Marketing Manager, Gulder, Legend and Life – all of Nigerian Breweries Plc were also in attendance. The august event was compered by versatile ace Nollywood actor, Chidi Mokeme, the anchor man for the search in the jungle; and he did justice to it.

    In his opening remark, Vervelde restated the aim and objective behind the GUS concept. “As part of the company’s commitment to youth development, Gulder launched the Gulder Ultimate Search with the objective of engaging the youths and provide them with opportunities to demonstrate their intellect, strengths, ambitions, courage and success in a TV show,” Vervelde offered. He subsequently took guests through the captivating journey of the Gulder Ultimate Search beginning from the first season held in Snake Island Lagos and concluded that Season 10 has turned out to be the best so far.

    The occasion also gave guests the opportunity to relive the story behind the 10th Symbol and how some warriors fell at different stages during the search. The 10th Symbol, an African mystical marking on a gold plate, was missing for nine years. But last year while the warriors searched for the Gate Keepers fortune in Usaka, the Council of Elders discovered trails that eventually led to the 10th Symbol. And to go in search of the 10th Symbol, 12 best warriors were selected from over 47, 000 individuals who sought to be part of the search. The 12 warriors were divided into the Spear Tribe and Sword Tribe, and guided by the Gate Keepers, the tribes battled against each other. Eight victorious warriors then formed the Hammer Tribe, the tribe that moved on to search and find the Sceptre. The warrior who returned with the 10th Symbol is the tenth Ultimate Hero.

    Over the years, the GUS has become a darling TV programme for countless TV viewers across Nigeria and indeed Africa who have loyally followed the show from the outset. “It is in view of this that we decided to reward the teeming fans of GUS through the Fans’ Edition. The winner of the Fans’ Edition would drive home a brand new Mitsubishi Pajero SUV,” Vervelde offered again. Kalu Kalu Nwalugwe, an undergraduate of Industrial Mathematics, won this prize and was celebrated alongside the jungle warriors.

    On hand from CFAO Motors, official automobile partners for GUS 10, was Melvin Chandelle, General Manager. Chandelle who commended the courage and bravery of the 12 warriors noted that Nigerian Breweries and CFAO Motors have come a long way in partnerships. According to him, the GUS Season 10 provided CFAO the much needed opportunity to showcase some of their new products to millions of Nigerians.

    Worthy of note for the GUS Season 10 was the ease with which contestants were moved into and movement of the crew members within the rough and rugged terrain of Usaka jungle, said to not have seen four wheels of a vehicle. These were made possible by the defiant 4 X 4 Mitsubishi L200 trucks from CFAO Motors. Chandelle ended by imploring Nigerians to drink nothing but Gulder and drive nothing but CFAO motors.

    On his part, Gov. Akpabio thanked Nigerian Breweries Plc for staging a second consecutive edition of GUS in Usaka. He likened the treasure search in GUS to Nigeria’s search for peace and prosperity.

    He further described Nigerian Breweries Plc. as an epitome of good corporate citizenship for coming up with and sustaining the reality TV show. He described it as a youth development initiative. The governor urged other corporate entities to borrow a leaf from the NB Plc. as government alone cannot do it all.

    Gov. Akpabio noted: “I urge corporate entities that benefit from doing business in Nigeria to emulate Nigerian Breweries and give back to society in meaningful ways.”

    He congratulated the contestants and Dennis in particular for his resilience in finding the treasure and advised him to remain a role model for younger ones.

    In the GUS, every warrior is a winner and this was once again demonstrated when the Ultimate Hero 10 and his fellow warriors were revealed to the public. One after the other, in their order of eviction, the warriors made their ways to the stage beginning with Emma Etido, the very first victim of eviction. For her effort, Emma got N1.1million. She was followed by Peter Ijeh who got N1.2million for participating. Mary Adeboye was the third warrior to lose her place in the quest and for her effort she got N1.3million reward. Next was Halima Sheidu, and for her effort she was rewarded with N1.4million. Anthony Brosu and Martha Adeboye left the jungle the same day for performing woefully at a task, yet for their effort each of them went home with N1.5million. Tracy Chapele was to follow and got N1.6million for her effort. Ever-smiling Olukunle Salako got evicted for his abysmal performance at a puzzle task, notwithstanding, he was rewarded with N1.7million. Just when everyone thought Ndudi Nzube, aka Bobby, had stepped up his game, he lost out just before the final search, placing third position with N1.8million to show for it.

    Contrary to wide expectations, Edmund Umeabuani, aka the good Doctor, failed to pick up the grand prize, coming second with Ifunanya Onike who expectedly emerged the last girl standing. For their efforts Edmund and Ifunanya were each rewarded with N2.5million while Ifunanya got an additional N1million for her last girl standing position.

    As a way of encouraging the warriors, Governor Akpabio added N.5million to each warrior’s prize money

    The epoch of the event was the crowning of the latest Ultimate Hero, Dennis Okike, and on ground to initiate him into the order of Heroes were Ezugo Ezeagwu, Ultimate Man 1, Lucan Chamberlin, Ultimate Man 2, Dominc Mudabai, Ultimate Man 4 and Pascal Eromosele, Ultimate Man 9 who transferred the crown to Dennis.

    It was celebration galore afterwards as African rapper No 1 crooner, MI Abaga, took the stage and got everybody dancing.

    Reacting to his victory, Dennis could only attribute it all to the grace of God in his life. “I couldn’t have done it all by my strength, it was all by the grace of God in my life. While we were in the water searching, anybody could have found the sceptre,” he explained. On what he plans to do with the money, Dennis said there are many things he could do with the money but maintained he has not yet decided which one it would be.

    The organisers promised more and a better show next year.

  • Why I didn’t invite people to my wedding —Nollywood actress Uche Nnnana

    Why I didn’t invite people to my wedding —Nollywood actress Uche Nnnana

    Newly wedded  Nollywood actress Uche  Nnnana is said to have  married her beau Richard  secretly. The Two Sisters  and Mary The Hunter star  clears the air, in this  interview with MERCY  MICHAEL, among other  issues.

    2013 is fast running out, how would you rate the year so far as it relates to your job?

    How could you ask that kind of question? You should know better (laughs). It is indeed fulfilling. For me, this year has been one of the best ever; it’s the year I got married to my wonderful husband and the year God blessed me with so many good jobs. I started the year with so many good roles and before you know it, the wedding came. I’m so excited.

    What are some of the things you still hope to achieve?

    I have achieved all I think I want to achieve this year, but that doesn’t mean if any other thing comes up, I won’t grab it. As a human being, I would say I have achieved all that I want to achieve this year but I know God might still have some good things in store for me. My God is a wonderful God.

    Do you have plans of becoming a movie producer?

    I am thinking towards that direction. But that is if God permits me; because whatever I do is by His grace. God alone can give me the inspiration, the strength to do it because to produce a movie is not an easy task.

    How were you able to deal with scandals before your marriage?

    I could say I am one of the actresses who have been very lucky. I think I am scandal-free. I have not really faced any scandal.

    How does it feel to be married?

    I am loving it. I am at peace with it. I feel good being a married woman. Now I realise what a great joy I have been missing all the while I was single. Nothing feels good than knowing that you have someone out there who loves you alone, who is watching your back, who calls you every minute to know what you are doing. Someone who tells you all the romantic things you need to hear and make you happy. By the time you get back from work, he is always there to ask you how it went. I was really missing out when I wasn’t married. Thank God I’m married now. I’m really enjoying it.

    What was the attraction to him?

    I come from a very strong Christian family and the upbringing I was given is to love God and to serve Him. So when I met my husband, what really attracted me to him was his love for God. The way the world is going these days, you hardly see young people devoting their time to serving God. That was one of things that attracted me to him. Please, every young girl should get married and make sure you get a guy who loves you so much.

    How did he propose?

    He was so romantic, you know. On that day, I never saw it coming. He said a whole lot of romantic things to me and he went on his knees to give me the ring. I was so excited. I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say.

    Why then did you make it a secret wedding?

    Yes, nobody saw it coming. I decided to play it very cool. I decided to play it so quiet because my husband is not a noisemaker. Secondly, where I come from, we don’t do traditional wedding. I come from Ihechiowa, in Arochukwu Local Government. What we do is called Nzukoro or Ikwetoku others called it Imego. That was what we did. So it wasn’t a traditional wedding and at the same time, it wasn’t a secret wedding. It was just a quiet wedding. I decided to do it quiet because I want to separate my movie life from my private life. If it was a secret wedding, there wouldn’t have been pictures, but our pictures were all over the place. People should stop using that word, secret. It was a quiet Imego.

    When is will your white wedding be?

    Like I said, what I did was not a secret wedding. It was a quiet wedding. But I’m sorry to disappoint you; right now I am not going to tell you the date of my white wedding. But it’s coming up soon. I will let everybody know. I want to use this medium to tell my friends and my fans because so many of them accused me of not telling them. I am sorry. It was just a quiet thing I did. I didn’t want to make noise about it, but one or two persons were actually around.

    I also noticed the absence of your colleagues at your younger sister’s wedding at the registry. Are you that secretive?

    I’m not secretive o. Did you not see my friend Tessy Oragwa at the registry for my sister’s wedding? Sometimes, I don’t like bothering people. Most of my friends who were supposed to come were busy on location.

    Your friends in the industry, how did they feel that you kept it away from them?

    Somehow it came as a shock to my friends not just in Nollywood. To every other person it was a surprise. It came as shock to them. So many of them were pinging me, trying to find out what was happening. I told them not to worry and they should forgive me. I promise them that very soon we are all going to rock the white wedding. That was what I told all my friends.

    Do you still hang out with your friends now that you are married?

    My dear hanging out with my friends is not a problem just that after my wedding, I have been very busy. We are all busy people like I told you. We jump from one location to another so it has not been easy but whenever we have time, we hangout. Marriage is not bondage. My marriage is not a prison. My friends are still my friends so whenever we are free, we hangout, have a good time together and come home. That’s just it. Do you believe that some people saw it and till today, they’ve not said a word to me. I just look at it and smile.

    Would you quit acting now that you are married?

    My dear, I have no plans to call it quits with the industry now that I’m married because my husband supports what I am doing. He loves my job. He doesn’t have a problem with it, so my fans have nothing to worry about. Don’t think you are going to miss me on your screen. I am still here full time, ready to give you all the actions you need to watch. My husband gives me hundred percent support, so I am not quitting acting.

    What is your dream role after all these years in Nollywood?

    I think every challenging role is a dream role. I wish to get more challenging roles. In Mary the Hunter, I played a cripple and imbecile at the same time and it was really tough but I thank God for His mercies. Those are the kinds of roles I look forward to. No role is a small one. No role is an easy one, but I like those very challenging roles. Two Sisters was another challenging one all together. I want a role that will make me to wake up at night, study my script, rehearse in front of my mirror, tell myself I have to make sure I do this well. I was taught in theatre art that there is no good show without a good rehearsal. So any role that comes my way I make sure I rehearse it very well.

    Nollywood is celebrating 20 years; how would you rate the industry?

    It’s really a great and a good one. When it started nobody knew it would come this far. Nollywood has changed the image of this country outside. Through Nollywood so many people have come to know more about Nigeria. It’s really a good thing. Nollywood has given employment opportunity to thousands of people. So many youths are surviving because of Nollywood. Nollywood is one of the best things to happen to this country. Even our elderly ones come to Nollywood to act and earn a living. Many who have not been paid their pension are surviving because of Nollywood, so government and corporate bodies should come and invest because Nollywood is doing a great job. And I will use this opportunity to give kudos to our President Ms Ibinabo Fiberesima. She is really doing a wonderful job.

    What changes would you love to see in the industry?

    Government and corporate bodies should come into Nollywood. It’s not something individuals can do alone. I hope that one day, every state will have a film village where we can go, build our set and shoot anything we want to shoot there. That way you find out that our movie will have better sound. The other time we went to America, we went to Universal Studio to be precise, we saw how they do it there. Universal Studio is built on 399 hectares of land. These is where they build everything they want. They want an African street they build it. They want houses in London they build it. After shooting they will change it. They want to shoot a movie that is telling about New York, they build houses representing New York houses. They do what they want to do and that way everything about the movie comes out good not like Nigeria where we go to people’s houses to shoot.

    In recent times, most of your colleagues have delved into other businesses; do you have any plans of doing same and what is that likely to be?

    I’m definitely looking in that direction but I will not let the cat off the bag. If anything comes up, definitely I will let you know. For now, I want to keep it under wraps. I like when I keep it quiet and unveil later, that way, people can see it and appreciate it.