The joy of a mother is to see her children grow into adult and become successful in life. For popular actress, Bukky Wright, she wishes no less. Bukky, as she is fondly called by friends and fans, is presently in cloud nine over her two sons who have suddenly gown into men and graduated from the university.
The mother of two is particularly excited watching her older son, Gbenga, aka Ojayy, trying to pursue a career in the entertainment world as a musician.
Her son, she said, began to manifest the talent when he entered secondary school. But she wanted him to concentrate more on his education. However, unknown to the young boy, she opened a commercial studio, hoping that it would help to build his career whenever he is through with his education.
“I noticed that he started taking interest in music when he was in secondary school. But because I wanted him to face his education, I didn’t let him know that I liked it. At that time too, he was kind of falling in love with football, so I had to be careful. Without letting him know, I opened a commercial studio, hoping that when he is through with his education, he would take up a career in music.”
The young man played his part by bagging a degree in Biological Sciences from the Rutgers University, New Jersey, US.
Speaking with The Nation shortly after watching her first son, Gbenga, perform to the admiration of a large crowd at the University of Lagos, Bukky said she is happy and fulfilled. Brimming with smiles, with her eyes dashing across the room to steal a look at her son, who sat a little distance away, the veteran cross over actress said: “You want to know how I feel? I must confess that I feel happy, I feel fulfilled like a mother whose son has made her proud. I am the proudest mum in the world right now.”
In truth, Bukky Wright has every bragging right to feel proud, judging from where she was a little over a decade ago.
At the time, the young Bukky Wright had just come out of her broken marriage. As a young mother of two, she was heartbroken and disillusioned, and probably unsure of what the future had in stock for her.
But fortune soon smiled on her when an old friend and confidant, Shan George, who was at the time a popular actress, offered her a shoulder to lean on. Bukky was introduced to what at the time was a fast-growing industry- the home video industry. One thing led to another, and Bukky was given an opportunity of a life time when she starred in her first movie, entitled Images.
The charming actress has earned for herself a befitting status in the industry, with A-list performances in movies and television series like Super Story’s Oh Father Oh Daughter, Agogo Eewo and Saworo Ide, among several others.
The story of Bukky Wright’s rise from a position of seeming hopelessness to that of one of the best in her profession and a successful businesswoman is a lesson in perseverance, dedication and hard work. This much she attested to herself. “I think I owe my success to God. Then, you all know me as one who does not give up. I am hard working and also endure any condition. My versatility and believing in myself is another thing that has helped me. I think all these are what have helped me till this day. I met a lot of people in this industry who are far better than I am. But I believe it is God’s plan that is manifesting in my life.”
Undoubtedly, Bukky Wright sure has a lot going for her at the moment. Her two sons, the fruits of her crashed marriage, have graduated from universities in the US. Apart from this, her acting prowess, intelligence, beauty, charisma and unassuming love for all has earned her a place in the hearts of thousands of fans home and abroad.
While she may have overcome the initial setback of her life, Bukky confessed to The Nation that her greatest wish for her sons is that they grow up to have a stable home. Asked if this has anything to do with her own experience, the popular actress said: “No, not at all. But you see, as a mother, the best thing you would wish for your son is to have a very peaceful and stable home. And that is what I wish for my sons.”
Far away from what others might view as the turning point in her life, Bukky Wright claimed that the turning point was when her sons came to live with her after the collapse of her marriage.
“I think the turning point in my life was when my children came to live with me. At the time, my first son was about six, while his younger brother was about four. When they moved in with me, it dawned on me that I have a huge responsibility not to fail myself and them. I knew that I had a task to make sure that things work well. Today, I thank God that I passed that challenge, because it was really a big challenge for me. You can imagine what people would say if I had failed.”
Bukky said she would have been deemed a failure if she had failed in raising her sons. She would, however, give the credit of the success to God. “I give God all the glory,” she said, stopped what looked like eternity before continuing, “Even now, when I ask myself how I did it, I can’t find the answer. Then I realised that it was God. There was no way I could have raised them by myself without the support of God. Imagine sending two children to university in the US,” she said with her eyes shut as if in deep reflection.
Asked if she has slowed down on some things she did when her boys were younger, Bukky looked straight as if trying to recollect something, before shooting back with a bright smile pasted on her face, “I don’t think there was ever anything that I did and I wouldn’t want them to see me do. The truth is that I lived my life for them, and anybody who is close to me knows this. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke or party. So, there is really nothing that I would not want them to catch me doing.”
As she spoke, her son, Gbenga, who had watched and listened to his mother as she fielded questions, sought to contribute to the interview. For the young man, being the son of Bukky Wright has its own challenges. “Being her son can be very challenging. As a popular person, everywhere you go as her son, the people expect you to behave and live above board. But in Nigeria, that is very tough. For instance, I was driving one day when a man brushed my car. I was very angry and I came down in a very angry manner, but at that moment, I remembered that I cannot afford to fight in public, and that if I do, it may affect her brand. So, I simply calmed down and let the man go.”
And for the mother, building a successful brand took a lot of hard work and several challenges. Asked to name some of the challenges that she surmounted to rise to the top, Bukky Wright said: “There were many challenges. To put it mildly, they were simply too many to start listing them. But the main ones were financial and moral. As a woman in an industry that was mainly dominated by men at the time, you had to be doubly good at what you do to make any headway. So many times you had to go hungry because you had no money. Again, as a woman, that puts you in a moral challenge.”
Aside from acting, Bukky is relatively a successful businesswoman. Her boutique, located in the Lekki area of Lagos, is a choice shopping place for the big boys. The outfit, she said is the result of a long term planning. “It took me a long time to plan this. I have always thought of sitting down in my own shop and all the things in the shop being my own brand. That’s why I’ve been trying to brand the name. I’ve always said it that Bukky Wright is not just a name. It is a brand that could come out with anything. I’ve been nurturing it for a very long time.”
From owning a fashion shop, Bukky is expanding her business coast to include entertainment and promotion.
“I do a lot of stuff now. I have opened a record label, with my son as the first artiste on the label. By the grace of God, we hope to have more artistes on the label.”
While it is true that other aspects of her life seem to have fallen into place with relative ease and profound successes, but Bukky has also had her fair share of troubles, ranging from media gossips surrounding her career and relationships to the challenges of making success of her career.
However, in spite of the brave face and thick skin towards scandals and rumours, Bukky confessed that she had broken down in tears over a story. And talking about her friends, she claimed that, while she has plenty of friends and acquaintances, her two sons remain her best friends. “I have a lot of friends and I have a lot of acquaintances. My kids are my best friends. I have two of them; Gbenga and Eniola.”
But another person who is close to Bukky Wright was her late mother. Their closeness was on display when the old woman died about two years ago, as the actress was left distraught. But time seems to have mended her broken heart, as she spoke fondly of her mother’s memory.
“I was very close to my mom. But i give God the glory that we have been able to keep her memory alive.”
Of the lessons she learnt from her mom, Bukky said the most profound was to be herself at all times and to be generous to people around her.
“I was very close to my mum and she taught me a whole lot of things. She taught me a lot about life and she taught me that the family comes first before any other thing and it has been working well for me.
“She would always tell me that I should always believe in myself. She said that, while others may deceive you, you cannot afford to deceive yourself. She also taught me to be generous. For instance, she said that you don’t need to ask your guests whether they would eat or not. She said you should simply serve your guests whatever you can afford. And in truth, you cannot come to our house without eating something, because she would not allow that to happen. These lessons are helping me in my own life today, and I sincerely thank her for inculcating into me these virtues.”
One of the reasons that Bukky is adored by her fans is because of her beautiful sense of fashion, both on and off the screen. And whether in traditional wear or English dress, Bukky Wright would most likely emerge your poster girl.
“I love shirts. I love anything that has to do with fashion. Mostly, I love to wear shirts. But that does not mean I don’t wear native attires. Maybe I should say that I dress to suit the occasion.”
So how does she manage her male fans? She disclosed that she puts in place a structure that defines the role of both parties. “I make them know that they are just my fans and nothing beyond that. But if a particular one becomes persistent, I either refuse to pick his call or simply devise a more diplomatic way to put him at arms length without necessarily hurting him.”
She however, maintained that she has no regret about her personality. “I have no regrets at all. If I come back a thousand times, I still want to be Bukky Wright.”
