With a background in Theatre Arts, one would expect Lola Omotayo, mother of two kids (Cameron and Aliona) for Peter Okoye of the popular group, P- Square to have plunged headlong into the murky waters of the movie industry. She declares that if she has to make films, it will be Yoruba movies but on the other hand, Lola says it is not her thing anymore as she initially toyed with the idea 10 years ago. She revealed more about her life, relationship and family, in this expose with AHMED BOULOR.
SHE was barely known on the scene until she started a relationship with Peter Okoye, one-half of the dynamic group known as P Square. Pretty looking Lola Omotayo who has two kids for Peter posits that she really can’t define herself but she gave an insight as to who she really is.
“What you see is what you get. I can’t really define who I am per se, but I’m humble, caring, loving and a professional in the oil and gas profession. I take my work and family very seriously because they are very important to me, my immediate family in particular.”
For one who has mixed parentage, Lola revealed that her upbringing was really interesting as she had to contend with growing up in a household where the cultures of both parents were deemed as very important.
“The journey has been a very interesting one. My Dad is a Nigerian and my mother is Russian. I was brought up in a household where both cultures are very important to my family. As a child, I went to boarding school where I learnt how to speak Yoruba. It wasn’t one of those glamorous schools, it was in Ondo State. Basically, my father wanted me to have a reality check of where I come from and what I need to aspire to be as an adult. From my mother’s angle, she imbedded her own culture on us as well. She insisted that we speak Russian at home, and we speak Yoruba at home as well, so I got the best of both languages.
“In 1990, I went to the University of Ife for a short while to study Psychology, but Nigeria was in a terrible state then; universities were on strike and all that. So my father said ‘why can’t you come to America,’ because he was working there then. So I applied to study theatre and film in San Francisco University, America. I wanted to focus more on directing because I didn’t want to become an actress, but eventually life just took me through a journey and I started working for an I.T company there. That was how I started building my career. ” Lola said.
Some years later, she decided to quit her post at the I.T firm as she thought seriously about establishing herself back home in Nigeria- a move she eventually made when found her way back to the buzzing city of Lagos.
“I decided that I’m going to move to Nigeria after I spent some years working with the I.T firm, but before then, I did some interviews to ensure that I secure a job before coming here. I got a job with ECONET as their Events Manager. I worked there for over a year before Daily Times called me. The paper was trying to rebrand then and they have secured the service of Adrian Wood who was with MTN. I decided to join them because Adrian Wood was like my mentor.
“I joined Daily Times and gave it my all, but some top people there didn’t really inspire me at the time, so I had to find my way. I worked for an advertising company called FKG2 and spent about five years there. We did a lot of things and it was interesting, that was where I met Peter actually. One of our clients, British American Tobacco (BAT) and P Square were doing something on Benson & Hedges then. We were on a road show together. I was still in the company when I gave birth to my son, but because the job was so demanding, I opted to work in my father’s company, Nosco Oil & Gas, so that I can have time to take care of my baby. I joined as an executive director in order to bring fresh ideas to the company. It was a new terrain for me, but I learnt quickly.” Lola averred.
One also wonders Lola’s driving force considering the fact that the mother of two does not seem to depend on Peter’s wealth despite the fact that he has been quite successful over the years.
“I believe that as a lady, you have to support your partner. You can’t put everything on your partner; it is important to add value as well. Even though I’m not bringing as much as he brings to the table, at least, I’m adding value and making things a lot easier. Honestly, that’s the way I was brought up; I can’t rely on someone for everything. I have to be independent. I should be able to buy something for my kids without asking their father for money. I feel good as a person knowing that I can do things for myself, not that I want to feel above him in anyway, but I just feel it is important for me to add some value to his life as much as he adds to mine.” She said.
Lola also has a word of advice for Nigerian ladies who put all their financial burdens on their partner.
“I think that is the core of our problems in this society because we put so much pressure on the man to take care of us. We put so much pressure on them, and that tempts some men to start doing some shady businesses. Women put too much pressure on men in this part of the world. Also, a lot of women are greedy and lazy, so they just want to get married and stop working. It doesn’t mean women should go all out and work for the men, but somehow, you just have to make things easy for him. I see a lot of young ladies out there; it is not as if there are no jobs for them to do, the problem is that they don’t want to do certain type of jobs, they want everything to come easy. I started the very hard way, I didn’t start the easy way like people assume.
“I had to work myself up there because I had a vision. A lot of young ladies in Nigeria see people driving fancy cars; carrying fancy bags and assume that a man is supposed to do all of that for them, so they sell themselves in order to get it. But you don’t have to do that. You can always find ways to make money legally.” Lola pointed out.
Had she not been born into a well-to-do home, one wonders how Lola would have coped, considering the seething economic situation in the country? But Lola says it all has to do with upbringing and family values.
“I come from a humble background; I didn’t come from a very rich background. My parents worked really hard and I saw the care that they took to ensure that they instill the best on their kids, so I drew my strength from there. You have to fight for whatever you want; if it is education that will take you there, then, you have to go to school and ensure that you get the needed degree. And if you are creative, you can do other things, may be design clothes and all that. It doesn’t have to be a big job. Dangote didn’t start with millions of dollars, so you have to be focused and work on it gradually to get to where you are going. In fact, coming from a privileged background is difficult because it won’t make you see how life really is.
“My father really threw me to the dogs; he wanted me to see how life is. He could have enrolled me into some fancy schools when I was growing up, but he wanted me to see how life is. He made me rub shoulders with people who had nothing. I have friends who came from rich background and today, they have nothing. I also have friends who came from poor homes and today they are doing well. It is about family values and hard work.” She posited.
Lola who recently gave birth to a baby girl named Aliona in America also opened up on her relationship with Peter and what actually attracted her to the energetic and talented performer.
“I love Peter because he was never intimidated. When I met him, he was just trying to build himself and I was very proud of him. I have a lot of respect for him, his talent and I saw that he had a vision. Peter doesn’t get intimidated by anything; in fact, he supports and encourages me all the time. I think he’s happy that he doesn’t have to do everything; he can rely on me that I will take care of our kids.
“Peter has drive. He has vision and pursues it. He doesn’t let anybody distract him from that vision and that I saw in him, which a lot of people didn’t see. Some people were like, ‘what are you doing with a musician? Are you crazy?’ but I saw something very different and unique about Peter. I saw the goals he set for himself and how he accomplished those goals step by step, and I was very impressed with that. I also saw that he wasn’t a selfish person. He was a generous person from the outset, even though he didn’t have much then, he was always generous. I like a man who is generous, not for the financial reason, but also to see how he can add value to other people’s lives- that is very important to me. He is also a good listener; he listens to people and also listens to me. Those are the things that attracted me to Peter. He’s an amazing guy.” Lola chuckles.
Last year, Peter gave Lola the surprise of her life when what was supposed to be a quiet lunch date to celebrate her birthday turned out to be a surprise party at West Fosters, located at 70, Ikoyi, Lagos.
She was surprised to see her father and other guests at the party which also had in attendance the Managing Director of DANA Air, Jacky Hathiramani with his wife and a few other guests.
Such is the nature of Peter as an excited Lola reveals how romantic he can be compared to the average Nigerian guy.
“Peter is very romantic as well. He does things that an average Nigerian guy will not do. There was a Valentine Day that he came to my house with a guitar and played some love ballads for me. That was really cool and I loved it. Those are the little things that he does that really touched me.” She informed.
With all the attention and spotlight Peter receives with his twin brother every now and then, Lola reveals that it is quiet hard to be in a relationship with a celebrity especially with fact that he is always on the road all the time.
“Having a relationship with a musician is one of the most challenging situations to be in. There are things you have to deal with; a lot of women, intruders, fans and admirers. You have to appreciate and respect the fans, but you also have some of them who are thinking of other things. I think it’s one of the most challenging relationships one can have. You won’t even spend much time with your partner because he’s on the road most of the time doing shows and concerts; even during holidays like Christmas, Easter and New Year, they are not around. So I’m not really enjoying that part. But I thank God that we are managing it very well.”
