NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS,UCHE ELENDU

How is life and the acting career treating you?

Cool. The acting career is fine as well, although I’ve been on a little break since I got married in February. I traveled. I have not been around; I took some time off to be with my husband because he lives outside the country and I also have to take care of myself.

How is married life treating you?

Well so far so good. I am still very young in marriage but so far so good, no bitter experiences yet. And I hope it goes on like that.

How did you meet your husband?

Funny enough, my husband was a fan of mine. He just kept calling me and all that. At first I was like ‘uhn…’ you know the usual thing. Sometimes, he will call and I will tell my PA to pick the call and tell him that I am busy. I did not know he was so serious. He saw me on screen and just said this is my wife and so he was bent on seeing me and getting me no matter the situation and I really gave him a tough time, but he was really bent on meeting me at all cost. One day he actually came to my base in Owerri and that day I was less busy and bored and I said okay come over to my house, let me see who has been calling me and all that. Then he came and got talking, I found out that he is my kind of person; very interesting, calm and all that. From there we just got hooked up ‘cos we knew we were meant for each other and here we are today.

Precisely when did you get into the acting profession?

I did my first movie in 2001/2002 but after that movie, I left the industry to face my studies squarely. I wrote my final exams and after then, I came back in 2004.

What is the title of the movie?

Fear of the unknown.How did it feel acting for the first time along side professionals?I did not really have any stage fright or camera shyness. The experience was really nice because I was working with very accommodating people and with the way I got into acting: it was my friend’s father that produced the movie.My friend asked me to help her deliver a letter to her father, Larry Koldsweat and I went there and I met him with Olu Jacobs and we got talking and they were like, this girl is going to make a good actress. They gave me script to read, I read it just like a joke and they said they will give me a role in their movie and incidentally, I was on holidays and I said, well let me just give it a try and I went and I did it well because I was working with very accommodating people like Edith Jane Azu, Olu Jacobs and Francis Agu of blessed memory. It was really a very nice experience and that was why I made up my mind to go into acting fully.

What is one good thing that acting has done to you?

If it wasn’t for acting, do you think I would have found my husband (laughs). Sometimes I just sit down to think about it, you know. If I was not an actress, would he have found me? But maybe he would have because God says for every woman, there is a man. So that is one good thing that acting has done for me. Another thing it has done for me is that it has made me realize who I am because with exposure, you get to see a lot of things. If I wasn’t an actress, I probably would not have known that I could handle some certain things because I would not have been exposed to them. It (Acting) has opened a lot of doors for me. Acting is my career and it has done a great deal for me.

What about marriage, what good has it done to you?

Marriage has given me a sense of responsibility. It has made me fulfilled as a woman.

So is your husband romantic?

(Laughs) Well he is. To me, he is. He is just my kind of man.

Who is your kind of man?

My kind of man is gentle, understanding, and tolerant because I have a lot of mood swings. He also has to be God fearing and hard working and my husband is very hardworking. He doesn’t give up, he always get what he wants.

Does he watch your movies?

A whole lot, he does.How does he react to your sexy roles, when you are kissed or smooched on set?(Laughs) It is funny because all the while I have not noticed anything different in his reactions when he is watching my movies. But recently there was this movie I did and I was in some romantic world with a colleague of mine, we were just sitting down watching the movies and we were gisting and laughing and all of a sudden , he was so interested in that part. I was trying to draw his attention away from the scene but he was so engrossed that all of a sudden he just became quiet and went to his room. I did not want to talk about it so I did not know if he felt jealous about it that he reacted that way or maybe because there were other people who were probably watching to see his reaction. I really don’t know. My husband is cool with my job. He loves my job and he doesn’t really have a problem with it.

Have you been faced with any embarrassing situation for playing a particular role in a movie?

I really don’t get embarrassed by my fans because most of the time, I know what to expect from them so I don’t find it embarrassing although, some other person may find it embarrassing. I can remember one occasion after I did a movie titled ‘Last Occult’ where I played a very occultic witch goddess. Then I was talking with a friend, I was actually kidding with her. I was telling her that I will deal with her and behold a woman emerged from no where and called her to a private discussion warning her to be very careful with me that I am a very dangerous person. She told her that I am a goddess of an occult that I could actually harm her that she saw me in the movie that I did and she knows that if I do not have anything to do with occultism, I would not have been able to act that part that well. My friend and I started laughing when she told me, but I did not find it embarrassing because I expect things like that from fans.

How many movies do you have to your credit?

Sincerely I have lost count but I know that I have more than fifty movies to my credit.

When you started out on your acting career, were your parents supportive?

My mom was supportive from the start but my father at the beginning was not very happy about it. When I did my first movie, my mom and I kept it to ourselves. We did not tell my father because he was transferred to Port Harcourt then while we were in Lagos and I begged my mom not to tell him. So I went and shot the movie. When the movie came out, my dad was at home one day watching TV and he saw its preview and saw somebody like me and he was like, ‘is this my daughter? No, it can’t be’. And because there was no hint; he never suspected anything like that until he saw the big banner in Port Harcourt and he saw my face there. He called me and asked me if we did any film in our school because he felt I would not leave school for anything. Then I had to tell him the truth, then he spoke to my mom and he was not happy about it. That was why I had to go off the scene after my first film before returning in 2004. After I finished and he saw that I am becoming successful in what I do, he did not have a choice than to support me and now they are both in support of everything.

What is your view on sexual harassment?

There is sexual harassment in every sector of life. In the banks, corporate world, any where you can think of. It is there. It does not only happen in Nollywood. I’ve never experienced any although I have been hearing of it. I don’t also see it working because after sleeping with whoever to get the role and the person is not good enough for the role, nobody will want to throw his or her money away because of some minutes of sexual pleasure. So whoever is playing a role has to truly merit it. The person has to be able to deliver and sell the movie. Many different people work on a movie; like the director, producer and all that so it will not work because movie making is not a one man thing. I don’t believe in sex for roles; I don’t think it works.

TEE-JAY FASHIONS

HALF PRICE SALES AT TEE-JAY FASHIONS.

STEPHANIE OFORKA--CURRENT MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN NIGERIA

Stephanie Oforka, the current Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (Universe) is just 19. But even at this age, the Geology undergraduate of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri knows what she wants in life.


Studying a course many people would describe as ‘serious’, not many would expect Stephanie to leave her studies to partake in beauty pageant.

Indeed, she told Spectacles that her participation in the contest was more of an accident.
“I didn’t plan to go into a beauty pageant, it just happened by chance,” she said. “A friend of mine said I could do it and she encouraged me to go in for the MBGN. That was how it happened. I never imagined going into it in the fist place.”
But she got into it and was lucky to pass all the screening exercises before the event. But then, she did not win the contest. Rather, she emerged the first runner up. But she said she was not disappointed coming second.

“I believe that God has a plan for everyone. Everybody said they thought I would win on that night. But I didn’t believe in myself that much, so I considered coming that far a blessing. I was happy to be on the stage as one of the two people left after the other girls had been screened out and some were named as winners of the MBGN Tourism, MBGN Model and Miss La Casera. When we got there, I knew there were five crowns to be won so I prayed that I would win one. It doesn’t matter to me that I won the MBGN Universe, because we are all queens in different ways and areas.”

Although Stephanie was highly favoured by the crowd to win the contest, many believe she didn’t win the overall prize because she didn’t wear a smiling face.
To that, she said, “That pageant was my fist time ever on a stage. I am 19 years. I was nervous and shy. It wasn’t because I was not happy that I didn’t smile, it was because I was so nervous.

On a normal day, I laugh and smile. On stage, it is different because I was in front of many people and I had never done that before. I was scared, that was why I didn’t smile.”
Now that she has become a queen, Stephanie now smiles a lot. “After the competition, we went through a learning process and I learnt how to feel free. I was a very shy person; I didn’t know how to talk to people. And if I saw a camera before me, I ran away. But now I am bolder and can smile in front of people.”

Her selection as the MBGN (universe) gave her the ticket to represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe contest held in Vietnam. Unfortunately, Stephanie did not make the first ten, let alone winning the crown.Still, she said she was not disappointed, describing the experience as awesome. With it, she has learnt to accommodate people and make friends.
“ What I had learnt worked out, because I was able to involve myself in discussion with people I had never met before. It helped me because I made a lot of friends, which I wouldn’t on a normal day. People think I’m very arrogant and rude, but it’s because I am shy and I use that to cover my shyness. I could just sit at a place quietly and if asked a question I could decide not to answer, and people will conclude that I am rude.”

On what could have made the judges not to notice her at the international pageant, Stephanie said, “We were more than 100 gorgeous and beautiful women, so I’m sure it was difficult for the judges, because even most of the people they called were not those we expected. The first 15 people that were called were people you wouldn’t notice on a normal day. But the judges have their reasons for picking the girls they picked or maybe it has to go around the world. I don’t really know how they did it.”

Now that she is a beauty queen, Stephanie says her lifestyle has not changed in anyway. She even intends to go back to school after her industrial training, which she is currently engaged in. “I am not a different person. I will be able to relate to everybody like I used to do before. I am a queen, yes, but a queen is not supposed to be arrogant, she should be humble.”

Talking about growing up, Stephanie said she was an only child who never even knew that people had siblings until she got into a secondary school. “I grew up in Port Harcourt. It was fun. I am an only child, so I have always had everything to myself. I have had the best of life. I don’t know what it feels like to have a younger one. I thought everyone was an only child until I got to school and saw my friends with their sisters or brothers. But for me, I have been alone all my life.

But being an only child didn’t make her parents spoil her, “because my dad is a professor and he is very strict. I was closer to my dad at first, and I was sleeping in his room, until I was 15 years. I never slept in my room alone because I was always very scared. Now, I think I’m closer to my mum because she is like my best friend now.”

One would have expected her dad to get married to another woman in order to have more children but Stephanie said her father never had such a mentality.
“My dad is Igbo, but he is not into this culture thing. He was abroad for a long time and only came back to lecture at the University of Port Harcourt. I have been to my village in Nnewi South only once, and that was when he was given a chieftaincy title.”
It is very rare for a reigning beauty queen in Nigeria to admit that she has a boyfriend. Stephanie, of course, said she didn’t have one. “I don’t have a boyfriend, really, because I am an only child. My father used to lock me up in the house. I grew up on the University of Port Harcourt campus and he was scared of campus boys. I never went to parties, because I was always locked up. It was when I got to the university that I knew what party and clubbing was. So, I didn’t really have the chance to have a boyfriend. And now as the MBGN Universe, I am not allowed to have one. Maybe I would have wanted one, but then, that is not my priority now.”
Since boyfriend is not her priority, marriage is not on her to-do list for now.

“ I want to finish school next year. By then I will be 20. Then I will do my master’s before thinking about marriage. I will get married at 21. I want to have my kids early. I am matured now than some 19 year-olds. I’ve seen it all and I don’t think there is anything out there for which I should remain single. I want to grow up with my kids. At the right time, the man will come. My greatest wish is to get married and start my own family in the next two years.”
Stephanie has already mapped out what she intends to do as soon as she drops the crown.
“After my reign, I will get done with school and later start a talk show to help people that are not bold, just like I was.”

PASTOR ANSELM MADUBUKO

Last week, you clocked 50 years. How does it feel to hit the golden age?

It does not feel any different. I am still the same person. It is just that my eyes are less effective. That is the only thing I have noticed. I thank God for his grace and mercy. I am trying to do some things, give back to the society, especially the less privileged. I just want to say thank you to the Lord and encourage and help those in need.

Are there certain things you do to be this fit?

I would say it is the grace of God. I work and travel a lot. But God’s grace has been upon me. I would attribute everything to Him.

Looking back, are there things you did that you wish you had done differently?

I wish I had spent more time with my kids. They are all in college abroad now. I miss them. I was too busy building the church. While they were around, I didn’t have enough time for them. That is the only thing I would call a regret in my life. I feel so bad. I wish I could make up for it, but it is not easy.

Why did you choose to be called an apostle?

I started as a pastor. I got saved in 1983. I was an architect. I loved the Lord, but I didn’t want to be a pastor. I wanted to do business and support the ministry. But several years later, things changed. I found that the Lord wanted me to build a church for him. I pastored the church for about eight years and the Lord began to tell me that my calling was beyond the local church. He told me He was sending me to the nations. An apostle means the sent one. He told me that the picture was beyond sitting down in one local assembly every Sunday morning. He told me He had equipped me with something the nations needed. So, from Year 2000, I began to travel to all the nations of the world to preach the gospel, not as a pastor, but as an apostle.

So you dumped your architecture certificate in order to become a pastor or an apostle as the case may be…

I still do architecture. It is in my blood. I still design houses. I designed this church and I designed my house. I designed the Silverbird Galleria. I do designs every day.
I advise people on what to do. Many bring their designs to me for advice.

Some people believe pastors build churches in order to make money…

I started this church 17 years ago. Seventeen years is not like today. We didn’t have many churches then. There was no guarantee that people would come to your church. It is stupid for anybody to think you are starting a church to make money. An architect stood a better chance of making money than a pastor.I was working with Tom Ikimi. He was one of the best architects in the country then. After then, I had my own practice. I had more prospects of being rich as an architect than a pastor. I went into the ministry when my practice had begun to grow. I got some good jobs. I had to abandon some after the church started. I thought I could combine both, but in three months, the church expanded so much that it was so difficult to combine the two. I had to give up all the jobs I had.But if you are in the ministry because you love the Lord, God will bless you, because He is a good God.

How did your family take it when you decided to leave your profession for the ministry?

Oh my God! My father disowned me. How could I, after spending all his money to train me in the university for six years, come out and say I was going to be a pastor? My wife said she wasn’t ready to marry a pastor. She said she married an architect and not a pastor. I tell you, it was not easy. Everybody revolted. My friends thought I was crazy. You know we have dreams. You sit down in the beer parlour and you dream of how you will live your life. Then all of a sudden, you want to be a pastor. It was not easy. But I loved the Lord so much that I didn’t care about what anybody said. Even if the ministry didn’t work, I wouldn’t have regretted it.

We learnt you started with Chris Okotie’s Household of God church…

I didn’t start with the Household of God. I started with Christ Chapel, where I stayed for three years and six months. Okotie started his own church. Because we were friends from the university, he had stayed in my house, and when he came back from bible school, it was only natural for me to join his church when it started.

Were you a pastor then?

No, I was still an architect. Myself, Chris, his wife then, Tina and Taiwo and Bimbo Odukoya were the fist members of Household of God Church. We cleaned and arranged the church for the very first service. Chris made me the head of the deliverance department.
I served in Household of God for three years and six months, not as a staff, but as a volunteer.

Did you leave because you wanted to have your own church, just like your friend?

No. I left when it was time for me to leave. Remember I told you I didn’t want to be a pastor. I didn’t go to a bible school. Circumstances led to my leaving the Household of God.

But are you still friends with Pastor Chris?

Oh yes. He is my very good friend. He was my best man during my wedding and I was his best man as well.

We learnt you were once a DJ…

I was everything. I was a young man growing up. I wanted to taste life and I had an early run. I got into the university at 18, and at 20, I became the director of socials. It exposed me to a lot of things. After that, I became a DJ with Radio Nigeria. I was a part-time presenter of a disco programme. I was also a DJ at nightclubs. Then, I became a master mixer. My father was a member of the Lorji cult. When I was 21, he initiated me into the cult. I became a Pyrate on campus and I ended up as the head of the Pyrates confraternity at the Enugu Campus of University of Nigeria Nsukka. I was a Capone. I saw life too quick. When I was 25, it was as if I had seen everything. That was when I got saved.

Then life must have been very sweet…

Oh yes. It was very sweet. How did you know? But I thank God for everything. The events made me become who I am today. I have seen everything. There is nothing new again to me. I smoked everything and I drank excessively.

What about women?

I was a crazy Casanova. I was a stupid playboy. I was terrible. I broke a lot of hearts, I tell you.
But you didn’t break your wife’s heart…
No. She refused to get her heart broken.

How did you meet her?

My wife was my friend’s girlfriend.
You took your friend’s girl?
Yes. I liked challenges. I didn’t want easy- to-get girls. I wanted girls who had serious boyfriends so that I could take them away from their boyfriends. She came to my house with her boyfriend and I liked her. I took her number and I found myself calling her. I invited her for a weekend and she came and that was it. She never left again.

So how did your friend take it?

That had always been my trait, so they knew I could do something like that. He really couldn’t do anything. We have been married now for 24 years.

And how has it been for the past 24 years?

It has had its ups and downs but it has been good. I married at 26 and I was very matured. I married because I didn’t want to continue playing. I had a very bad reputation and I was determined to correct that impression. So, we got into marriage and it was rough, because we didn’t know anything. But God helped us. It is better now than it was when we got married.

Did you become born again because you were frustrated with life?

No. Things were very fine for me. I just finished my youth service and I had even started working with Tom Ikimi. I had it all. I had seen life. It was just that I was tired of the bad things. I was tired of the night boogying, I was tired of the Pyrates and I was tired of Lorji. I was even tired of women. So, what else was left for me to do?

Why did you join the cult in the first place?

I thought it would help me to become rich quickly. It is rich men that enter the cult. I thought of all the connection I could get, so I had to join.

Were you threatened when you left?

Oh yes. I spent five years in the cult and they felt I was going to expose all their secrets. Even with the threats, I was not scared because I knew nothing was going to happen to me.

What of your father, did he eventually leave the cult?

Oh yes. At first, my father was scared I was going to die. But when nothing happened to me after I pulled out, he pulled out as well. He was saved. He even lived up to 70 before he died.
As a man of God, do you think it is ideal to leave your calling and run for a political office?
It depends on God’s calling. God can call anybody to do anything. God is not a stereotyped God.

But don’t you think a pastor would lose focus doing the two?

If God called you, you would not. The problem we have is that most of the politicians we have are not called and there is no grace to back them up. They get into a system that is messed up and the system sucks them up as well.

So, if God calls you to run for a political position, you will go…

I will obey God. But I pray He doesn’t.

How do you cope with ladies that dress to seduce men in church?

A man that has a problem with what a lady wears is not well. That means that the person ought to jump into the river because naked people are everywhere. They are in TV, magazines and even on the streets. You have to get to a point where you train yourself not to be moved by things like that. The power of holiness is stronger than sin. When a man makes up his mind to live a life that is pleasing to God, such things do not move him. I don’t care about how ladies dress. It doesn’t get inside of me. I am delivered from that. I am delivered from alcohol. I stay with people who drink alcohol and it does not bug me. I stay with people who smoke and womanise and I don’t feel like joining them. I see women as either my mothers or my daughters.

But have you ever been tempted?

Why not? Who is not tempted? You get tempted but you try not to fall.
We hear your wife is actually the one in charge of the church. She determines who gets what.
A church is not a ministry of local government. People report out of ignorance. There is a structure in place in the church. We have pastors in the church and she is one of them.

But we hear she sacks people anyhow…
It is not like that. Nobody has been sacked in the last 10 years, apart from those that stole.

You obviously have it all, what more can you ask God for?
I just want to know Him more. I don’t want money and fame. I just want to know Him more.

OBAFEMI MARTINS LOSES MUM

Mother of Obafemi Martins, Nigerian international footballer, Alhaja Sherifat Martins, is dead. She was aged 60She died this morning at the Joedan Hospital, Orile Iganmu, where she was rushed to after she allegedly collapsed at her residence, kilometre 15, Badagry Expressway, Orile Iganmu.

NFC investigations revealed that Alhaja Martins was rushed to the hospital around 6.30 a.m. and was later confirmed dead by the doctor.Chief Imam of Nadwad-ul-Ahli mosque at 57, Igbosere Road, Lagos Island, her mosque, Abdul Rahman Lawal, who confirmed the death to us, said he was told that Alhaja Martins collapsed after inhaling fumes from a burning petrol tanker which fell and caught fire at Orile Iganmu this morning.

She was reportedly rushed to the hospital where she was confirmed dead. When NFC visited her residence at Orile Iganmu, sympathisers were seen moving in to console some of her children and relations.Nurses at Joedan Hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told us that the hospital was not the first place the deceased was taken to, adding that by the time they brought her to Joedan, she was already dead.Two senior sisters of the deceased, Risikat and Mutiat Shonibare, denied that the deceased died as a result of the fumes she inhaled from the burning tanker.According to them, Alhaja Martins, after observing her morning prayers, was going to visit one of her daughters when she collapsed in the car. “She was immediately taken to the hospital,” Mutiat Shonibare said.NFC gathered that the corpse of the deceased was immediately taken to the Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lekki, residence of Obafemi Martins, accompanied by her daughters.

Further investigations revealed that the Newcastle United Star had been notified of the death.Obafemi Martins, it was learnt, told his relations that he would be arriving tonight from London and that the burial of his mother should be postponed till tomorrow.

9ICE WEDS OLUWASEUN PAYNE

The early morning drizzle was totally unexpected. The night was warm, and as dawn approached, there was no sign rainfall was approaching. Well, it didn’t rain, after all. It was just the drizzle, rushing and consistent, that created a community of droplets on windscreens, and left many commuters half-wet.

It was Thursday July 17. To many, this was just another day. But to close friends and family members of 9ice, the intermittent drizzles on a morning the weather man predicted as ‘warm and sunny’ were a sign that this was no ordinary day.

The 28 year old singer finally took the bold step, last Thursday, as he walked down the aisle with his fiancée Anthonia Oluwaseun Payne. While most of his female fans and admirers were still asleep, curled up in bed and listening to the radio, 9ice took close friends and family members to a registry in Surulere local government where he exchanged wedding vows with ‘Toni.
9ice announced his engagement to Toni early this year, promising they would tie the knot before year-end.

His bride, a US-based entrepreneur returned to the country last Monday to prepare for the wedding. The couple arrived the local government secretariat, at a few minutes before 9 am, in the company of family members and bodyguards. 9ice looked smart in a black suit while his bride wore a white V-neck gown.

Quiet and devoid of all fanfare, the wedding lasted for half an hour, as the registrar Mrs Tola Awoliyi counselled them, made them sign the wedding register and exchange rings. At about 9:30am, she pronounced them husband and wife: ‘may I introduce to you, Mr and Mrs Abolore Akande’, she told the excited audience, as the hall was overtaken with wild jubilation. 9ice and Toni shared a kiss, clinging to one another for more than a few minutes.

The formal wedding at the registry was later followed by a traditional wedding at Abiona close, off Falolu Street, Surulere, Lagos.

Sources close to the couple revealed to Glitz Beats that they may not be going on honeymoon immediately, as 9ice has a multitude of engagements to honour. ‘They’re planning to spend sometime in the UK and the US from August. I guess that’s the only time they’ll have to honeymoon’, the source said

THE MAN BEHIND DAAR COMMUNICATIONS--AIT

The story of DAAR Communications Plc has always been fraught with mixed feelings of excitement, hope, as well as trepidation.

Depending on where they belong, many people are of the opinion that Ray Power and African Independent Television have offered enough room for the public to aspire to greatness, not just within the African continent, but the world over, which the television station is set to venture into in a few weeks’ time.

The chairman of the outfit, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, who has been the driving force behind the success of private broadcast media in the country, says that there is always a need to continue to push whatever one believes, in even in the face of adversities.

According to him, ”We want Nigerians to aspire to greatness and this is possible. For some of you, you will recall that the development aspect of Daar Communications faced a lot of challenges around the year 2000, when we had receiver managers take over the premises of Alagbado in Lagos. And a lot of people thought that was the end of the organisation. After all, they said private broadcasting would never thrive in Nigeria and that it was absolute madness. It was the desire of the government at that time to really bring Daar Communications and private broadcasters to their knees.”

The Edo State born high chief, whose organisation has provided a platform for the downtrodden to see the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the government, believes that getting to the stage where the television and radio outfits are today, has been through miracles and the love God has for Nigerians, who believe in the cause of justice.

With nobody to look up to as a godfather, Dokpesi says, “My mother only sold akara in Ibadan to see us through school. I believe every Nigerian should be given the opportunity to aspire for greatness without looking for a godfather.”

Recalling some of the sad experiences, he says it is “unnecessary for one to be looking for gloves and a ring after God had fought for him,” adding that “we can only glorify, thank God and everybody that saw us through the challenges at that time.”

He says the intention of the Daar management its at inception was to meet the minimum five years requirement that the Security and Exchange Commission placed for a company to have operated as a private limited liability company before going to the stock exchange.
Speaking with satisfaction on the success of the company’s initial public offer, he says, “Well, I do not have to sing the praises of Daar Communications to mention all the firsts and all the ground-breaking efforts that we have gone through. Those are easy to find. But, significantly, we have tried to change the face of broadcasting in Nigeria.

“We have paid our dues and we will continue to pay our dues. We went to the stock exchange believing very strongly that the ordinary people of Nigeria have faith and confidence in Daar Communications. What we have done on their behalf is an indication that the airwaves do not belong to us. They belong to the Nigerian people. We are just holding it in trust for all Nigerians.

Let me reiterate also that the offer proceeds will be applied very strictly and prudently.”
On the immediate and future plans for the much expected multi-channel pay station that will beam the country and the continent to the world, he says the best in broadcast and digital transmission equiptment are already on the ground to make AIT the station to beat in the whole of Africa.

He adds that the multi-channel project will begin test-transmission in August, while the official take-off will be September. This much was revealed when journalsits were conducted round the various studios that had reached advanced stages of installation. “But the good point is that every item that is required is already on the ground. We are starting with 40 channels. It is going to be transmitting on high definition. It is quite challenging. We are launching broadcasting at a different pedestal,” he says. “The multi-channel, pay TV platform will be taking off from Abuja. We are also looking at totally transforming and upgrading the facilities in each of the stations across the country from analogue television broadcasting to full digital TV platform. Not only in terms of the studio facilities, but the whole entirety of broadcasting for all our stations across the country. “We will also look at the issue of building a film village in Lagos to enhance our capacity to undertake some productions, not only movies for sale to other people, but also for our own television consumption. We are looking at TV consuming content and enhancing, uplifting the standards for us to come at par with modern day television broadcasting in any part of the world.”

The success of Daar Communications, he says, will also be tied to the golden jubilee of television in Nigeria next year. Dokpesi says, “We are looking forward very strongly to bringing Nigeria‘s glory in broadcasting back to its proper place. Nigeria, in the continent of Africa, started TV broadcasting in October 1959, but, today, we have to depend on South Africa and other African countries for modern day television broadcasting. We want to play our small role in ensuring that Nigeria‘s honour and glory are fully returned and also re-establish the leadership role we ought to be playing in TV broadcasting in the continent.”

From all indications, it is obvious that Dokpesi’s projection for the multui-channel station is to have a number of stations wrapped into one in such a way that a viewer would hardly bother to switch to another television station. He says, “We are going to be looking at the entertainment sector. We are bringing in a number of channels that have to do with movies from Hollywood, Bollywood, and Nollywood. In the UK, AIT Moviestar is already making waves. Ecostar in the US, we are having discussions to have both AIT general entertainment channel and Moviestar bundled together for the American audience. For news, we have quite a number of channels that are coming in. There is also a lot of sport. In the nearest future, we want to build up documentaries on West African history.”

The eight channels from Daar Communications, which include the 24-hour AIT News, will use correspondents on the ground in South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, together with US Bureau and UK Bureau. ”In addition, there is going to be a children channel. We have about 12,000 hours of children programmes that we have acquired, total library that we have taken on. From the last quarter of October when all our network stations would have been on stream, the whole face of AIT would totally transform. Whether we will be able to have sufficient advertising support is what I have left to the financial people to look at. But, for me, the entire dream of transforming and strengthening and upgrading the face of television would have been substantially achieved,” he says. ”There is going to be Sahara 1 for the Indian loving people; from the US, Fox Sky is coming in, as well as detective stories. This is the rationale behind some of the structures we are putting up here in Abuja as the headquarters of Daar Communications.”

His vision to see the Nigerian project work and the need to create a platform that can successfully launder the image of the country and by extension the continent, is exemplified in his belief and preparedness to work with perceived competitors in the industry
According to him, “I do not have any objection to even have NTA on the platform. It is just a matter of Africanising and bringing in to our people those things that are indigenous to us, thereby supporting their growth. “When the offer proceeds come in, they can only go further in enhancing and consolidating our giant strides. It was an offer at give-away price, but we will see how it goes,” he says.

THE MAN ANTAR LANIYAN

What does the name Antar connote?

That has to do with the story of my birth. İt is the name of an animal ‘Egoana’. My parents didn’t see anything wrong in giving me that name.Does your character correlates with that of the animal?There is a story around it. İ overstayed in my mother’s womb. İ stayed 18months and my poor mother feared she would die with the pregnancy and she was going all over the place then making consultations, ( you know how it was at that time). So after the consultation, she was told to go and bring that animal, so people had to go haywire searching for the animal. They found it, and l think they made concoction out of it and she was forced to eat it; probably the animal was not edible, l wouldn’t know. She took it and l came out easily.

Tell us your experience as a movie director

İts been okay. İ feel good and everyone in my position should be grateful to God as it is but you don’t get to this level if you laze around; you have to work hard. There are somethings some people do and you don’t that takes you to a level as this. Even if you don’t have money, you get to a certain level and you see yourself as “okay”. İf l am not a king atleast l am a kingmaker.

How true is it that you abandoned acting for movie directing?

That is not true. İ still act. Just last week a film was released and l featured in it and there are some that are yet to be released. İ spend two weeks directing Super story and two weeks outside. At the moment, l’m outside and will be back there in a forthnight. So l have time for directing. People think super story comes out every week so Antar must be very busy to be able to meet the Thursday recording. They don’t know that l record super story in bulk; l may have 13 episodes on ground, so l have enough time to do other things especially acting.İ’m very much into acting its just that when you get to certain level in your career and you don’t just accept any script. The script that comes your way should be something that when you partake in it, you won’t disappoint your fans. (Those who have been following you since 16 or 20; l started acting when l was 16). People follow your career and as you grow they grow and the love they have for you increases. Taking part in things that has no value leaves them disappointed. There is this film by Muka ray and Affizco just released. Those were nice scripts l took part in. İ recieved text messages, people say “it is good”. That is the kind of thing l want. In the English movie genre people think if they bring scripts to me for acting or directing, they believe l will turn it upside down. But of course l will when it is necessary.İ am not taking over your job as a writer but if there is a fault, let’s point it out so that we don’t turn out something bad in the industry. That is all l am for and that is why you see Super story going high up like that. There is the freedom to correct, good cameramen, then you debate, and bring people to criticize it, so you can do better next time. There is nothing bad in that. How do you relax with these tight schedule?When l’m not working, l come to the office or l sleep on my bed, watch television, then go back to bed. They knock to bring my food, l eat and sleep again. They will say “Daddy, your food is ready”, and l will say “Bring it now”. That’s probably because the next week, scripts will be coming for Super story and l will be busy for another two weeks, l won’t have that pleasure.

How has working with Wale Adenuga Productions been?Superb!

There is nothing like it. İt is just good because you have room to express yourself as a director and actor.Do you have a permanent contract with the production outfit?İ won’t put it that way. What l know is that l work with him as a contractor. There is a new script on hand, l am shooting at a certain time, l get there, collect the script, work on it, and before you know it, we are on the field. So its contract. İ am not a permanent staff neither l’m l a temporary staff because l’ve been working with him for eight years.

Coming to the “home front” tell about your wife and how you met her?

Hmmm! Despite my ability to act and be a disciplined director, people don’t know l’m a very shy person. My wife and l met somehow. She is a no non-sense woman. She really gave me tough time. Even though l was already a star then, my stardom didn’t work. İt was the person in me; not Antar the star or actor that worked. İntially, the guy in-between us came to me and said she said “what if he is a star”, if he cannot come by himself, then let him go to hell”She is a gentle woman, a mother, because as l said, one day when l lost my mother, she was there. She was the one running around to get things done. So l said “Now you are my new mother, and she accepted and she has been doing fine”. There is no way one will not feel the absence of his mother, but there is a mother in my wife.

What is view about your career?

İf people say l am successful, then she is the pillar behind my success because with God choosing her for me, and no problems from her, because if she had been giving me problems, maybe l would not concentrate and l won’t have a grip on what l am doing.What do you think can make a successful actor or director?Hard work! You have to work hard and learn everyday. You don’t think you know everything just because people are praising you. İ study everyday. İf there is any book on directing, l pick it up study it and pick something out of it.

Do you have regrets or coslty mistakes you’ve made in life?Mistake?

No. İ see myself as a very deep person. Apart from the fact that when l was a boy, l wanted to be a soldier and since my focus turned to theatre, l have not had any cause to regret. Even when there was no money, l was in it, when every other person left, l went to school to study the same thing and came back there. So l have not done any other thing outside theatre. There is no regret. I think if l come again, l will still opt for theatre. İ see it as the only path God has chosen for me to express mysel. To bring out some messages God wants to pass to people.

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH INI EDO---PHILIPS EHIAGWINA

I met her during one of my visits to Nigeria. I saw many good qualities in her, we clicked and now, the rest is history.

Most people have the impression that Ini was friends with your ex-wife, Ruth and that she snatched you from her.

I’m hearing that for the first time. They have never been friends. It was just recently that Ini informed me that this was the same girl who reached out to her on her myspace page, courting her friendship under the alias ‘Christel’. She told Ini that she would reveal her real name in due time. This was as far back as January 2007. we have records to prove. So, that story is just one of her fabricated stories to get sympathy from the press. (Here is an excerpt of the mail Ruth, a.k.a Christel, sent to Ini on her myspace page on September 15,2007: “Hi Ini, I have information that you are having an affair with my husband, Philip Ehiagwina, who deceived me for a green card fraud and has a pending court case with the FBI here in NYC and Crime and fraud Commission. If I were you , I would steer clear as this may affect you ever coming into this country in future. You may be held as his accomplice in this case. Information also reached me that he is flaunting flashy cars in Nigeria, cars that are supposed to be sold. Just in case he never told you, whatever he has today is my sweat; he is currently working menial jobs to earn a living. He is a sales man, working for someone and get paid a few dollars monthly. He has been deceiving girls all over the place, making them believe he has heaven and earth, but in truth, I am the person taking care of all his responsibilities which he abandoned here in New York. Philip has put me through hell. Took away my only unborn child by causing me to have a miscarriage at three months. He walked out of my life a week and few days after he got his green card. Got with a girl who he wanted to get pregnant and when she questioned his proposal, he came out open and confessed that he got married to me only to get American green card. His mistress in return got my contacts and told me everything. Even set him up and got a video coverage of his confessions and that is the proof I am using to make sure he goes to jail for his evil deeds. She called and told me everything that my beloved husband did to me after I gave up every thing to save this man’s live while he was in Nigeria.He had nothing when I met this man, but I don’t need to go there. The God that save me form a deadly cancer and gave me a second chance in life will never let Philip know peace for all the evil deeds he has done to me and for taking away my only hope of happiness, my unborn child. And now he has the heart to go around spoiling my name only to cover up for what he has done. I am only telling you this just incase you had no idea. You are not the only girl obviously, but Ini watch your back so you don’t regret, I have nothing against you but a piece of advice.I heard that you might be pregnant for him, if it’s true, good luck. Unfortunately, Philip is a cursed, am and whoever follows in his step is cursed as well. He will never know peace as long as God is concerned and as long as there is something called REPERCUSSION. I called your manager and told her everything. You are a very pretty girl and should know how to respect your body and pray for the right husband. Do not be carried away by flashy things cause that could be deadly too. All that glitters isn’t gold, remember. Philip is a devil in a human flesh. Have a blessed day, Ini from Christel NYC.”

We have read all the interviews granted by your ex-wife regarding how wickedly you treated her. Now, can we hear your own side of the story? Why did you leave her when she was supposedly ill and pregnant for you?

Let me set the record straight. I did not leave her until everything went out of control. Before I joined her in America, she brought in a boyfriend of hers to live with her. She called me Nigeria to say a ‘male friend’ of hers from Ghana was about to move in with her. I warned her against it, but she did not listen. The guy in question ended up moving in and her friend who shared the apartment with her was subjected to move into the living room. From what I heard, they lived like husband and wife. Sharing the same bed, taking showers together and your imagination at this time is as good as mine. How can a married woman do such a thing?When I got to America in August 2003, I met her in the hospital. She was in a coma for two months as she battled with leukemia. I was cleaning her up with my hands. When the doctors said she had a small chance of surviving, I told them they were lying. I prayed day and night for her recovery. The staff at the hospital thought I was going crazy, but God answered my prayers. When she got out of the hospital, I was the one there to help her. Her friend, Ijeoma, can confirm all these things I’m telling you. I can give you her number so she can tell you with her own mouth. How was I wicked to her?On the issue of pregnancy, what kind of man would have a heart to abandon a lady carrying his own child? I recall her saying she was pregnant sometime in 2005. this was right after she got back from Ireland. Before leaving for Nigeria, I made arrangements for her to travel to Ireland to stay with my elder brother as she was recuperating from her illness and I did not want to leave her by herself. Shortly after she got back, she told me she was pregnant. My question was how? Ruth and I never had sex prior to her ‘pregnancy’, so how could she have gotten pregnant? The Bible did not make me understand that a second Virgin Mary was going to come.We don’t understand how you can be married to someone and not have proper sex. How is that possible? Ruth had some medical issues that needed to be addressed. Let’s leave it at that. Please, I don’t think it would be good for me to put her business out there simply because of the present situation.

She said you dumped her just after you got your American papers, is it true?

That’s a lie. When we got married in 2002, I meant to keep to my vows. Besides, at the time we met, she did not know the colour of the US passport. Every now and then, she would mention she was born in America. She told me she was brought back to Nigeria when she was just seven months old. All she had was her birth certificate. Anyone with your best interest would encourage you to take advantage of your opportunity and relocate to America. I took her to the Embassy. She told me she had been turned back several times. Her father would not cooperate because he did not want anything to do with her, so we threaten to make a case that he abandoned her in Nigeria, before he obliged and sent the information the Embassy needed. We got married before she left ( four years after we met). So, you can see that our marriage was not about ‘pali’ (papers). I had genuine affection for her, that was why I did everything I could to make her happy. When she got to America, things changed. How can a married woman leave her matrimonial home to strip in a club? I recall an incident that happened when she found out I sent money to my mother. It was just $400. Ruth called the cops on me. When they asked her if I touched her, she said ‘no’ but I sent money to my mother without informing her. They said ‘Is that all?’ she said ‘yes’. They could not believe it. Still, I endured because I wanted to believe she would change.During the time we were married, she made several attempts on my life, both physical and spiritual. I remember and incident when I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and I saw Ruth standing and staring at me. She was crying. I asked her what the matter was and she said ‘nothing.’ Okay, come and go back to sleep. She was still sobbing. The following day, she came to me confessing that , that night, she was going to stab me to death and kill herself. While she was staying at my brother’s place in Ireland, his young kids at that time, they were about three and five. In the middle of the night, they would shout, “Daddy, Daddy! See Auntie! Monster, Monster, Snake! Snake! She was sharing the same room with them. This went on repeatedly, night after night. It took my brother a long time before he could share it with me. Now, please, put yourself in my shoes, u no go pick race? The last incident that broke the camel’s back was when I found out that she slept with my supposed ‘best friend’. No man would take that, so I filed for divorce. She was not brave enough to come to court to defend herself. The divorce was finalized and granted on the basis of infidelity on her part. So, how did I dump her?What about the story of her picking you from nowhere? Are you reading the question the other way around? With all modesty, I come from a very comfortable home. I am the youngest of nine children, so my elder ones made sure I never lacked. Ruth and I met shortly after my graduation in 1998. She met me living comfortably. I paid for her GCE exams and even took her to sit for the exams. When we saw she couldn’t make it, I struggled to help her gain admission at the Polytechnic, Ibadan. I paid for her tuition and provide money for her upkeep. I was not rich per se, but I was comfortable to the extent that I could take care of her. There was nothing she asked me for that I did not provide. If I had money for it, I made it available to her. At that time, she had just one outfit; she would wear it during the day and wash it at night, so she could wear it the following day. I changed all that. Even when she relocated to America, I was sending money to her from Nigeria to pay her bills. I met her in America earning minimum wage at a thrift store in New York. All her visits to Nigeria were funded by me, so I take that as an insult. Now, she goes around saying she is a top model based in New York and has modeled for Victoria Secrets. I also heard her tell people she has worked with Beyounce. Na beans? I can go on and on, but I don’t want to give the impression that I am putting this out now to get back at her. No! That is not the case. This young lady has gone all over the place granting interviews to tarnish my image and that of my fiancée with all her lies. It’s not fair. Let the truth be told!

What is exactly your relationship with Emeka Ike and Jim Iyke at the moment?

I don’t want to go into that.How long were you separated form Ruth before you met Ini?Two yearsSo, why is this woman so angry with you? Were you separated form her but still initiating sex?Initiating sex with who? Ruth? With all these diseases we hear about today? If I left her because of her adulterous ways, why would I want to go back to her for sex?Your wedding to Ini is coming up in some week’s time, have you tried to reach out to this lady to make peace? I don’t have problems with her! She is the one fighting me when the reverse is supposed to be the case, because she deceived me. I just want her to stop asking her cohorts to contacts me. Less than two weeks ago, I was in New York with my wife’s manager, Joy Onyeukwu, when I received a text message and the message was: “I hate your family because they can’t advice you. Ini will bring death to you if you marry her. Go back to your ex-wife.” I showed it to Joy. I will give you her number. You can call her and confirm. So, these are some of the things I am dealing with. How can there be peace? I want her to know that my wedding will hold and no amount of threats will change my mind.

Ini has a controversial image, how have you been able to manage all the stories surrounding her?

The truth is that people don’t know Ini. They just carry fake rumour about her and no thanks to some reporters who carry news without verification. I got to see a different side of her when we started dating. Now, we’ve had cases of reporters coming to apologize for the wrong reports they wrote about her. This year alone, we’ve had more than four cases like that. For instance, one day we were home together, I received a call from someone who called to report that he had sighted Ini engaging in an immoral act with another female in Owerri. But funny enough, she was right next to me. So, I asked the guy to hold on and handed the phone over to her. Once she came on the phone, he hung up!Early this year, a young woman was arrested by the police for impersonating Ini to extort money?She was arrested and taken to “Area F”, Ikeja. AGN President, Mr . Ejike Asiegbu, was there with our reporter who covered the incident. You can call them and confirm. Tomorrow, someone will start a story that Ini collected money from him and did not show up. That is how these controversial stories start.

Are you officially divorced now? When did the divorce come through?

Yes, I am. The divorce was finalized last year. I have the certificate to show for it. Many couples end up interwined in each other’s careers, do you plan on managing Ini Edo or will she be involved in your business?I don’t intend to manage her because she already has a manager, but I’ll be involved in her business because she is my wife.Do you think you can handle the fame and attention from the opposite sex that comes with Ini’s career or will you ask her to quit acting after the wedding? Fame and attention from opposite sex will always be there, but I love and trust her, so I am not in anyway intimidated. I can afford to set her up in any business venture she chooses to go into, but acting is a career path she chose for herself long before I met her, so why would I want her to quit a profession that she enjoys?

From all the stories peddled about Ini, how do you both manage the issue of trust?

Like I said, I love and trust her and I know she will never do anything out of what we both agree upon.Your first marriage failed and a lot of stories have been peddled that you were the reason it did. How do you plan to ensure that the next one does not fail ad well?I wasn’t the reason why the marriage failed. While we were married, she left matrimonial home to strip in clubs there in New York. Gold is appreciated by those who know the value. Now, I have found love with someone that loves and appreciates me and I believe our union was ordained in Heaven. It won’t fail. No one gets into marriage planning for it to fail. You go into marriage to nurture a life long relationship. As long as we stay strong and serve God faithfully, it won’t fail.

What is your source of livelihood?

Your ex-wife fingered you as someone involved in dubious business.I export cars to Nigeria to sell. My business is registered in the State of Texas and I pay my taxes, so what is dubious about that? Talking about dubious, do you know that Ruth used my personal information to file for her taxes for 2007? I went to my accountant’s office to file my taxes only to be told that my Social Security Number had already been used. We are divorced and she has no legal backing to do that. She went as far as forging my signature to get the tax done. Now, the IRS has gotten involved and they are investigating the matter.

Are you being investigated by the FBI as revealed by your ex-wife?

Why will the FBI investigate me when I am not involved in any illegal business? She is so stupid for saying that. The FBI will not tell you when somebody is being placed on the investigation list. The other day, she had a male friend of hers call me, He said, this is the FBI, I need your address. I said, “What for?” He said, “They want to conduct an investigation on you and they need your address to write to you by mail.” I cursed him and hung up on him. How can FBI call you to get your address? Does it make sense?

We hear you have already taken drinks to Ini’s family home, what was your impression of her family?

They are a great family! I can only liken it to mine and I am so happy to be part of such a wonderful family.

Will you relocate Ini to America after the wedding or will you relocate back to Nigeria?

Ini and I will both decide on that.

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY,PASTOR PETERS

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY,PASTOR PETERS.MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS YOU.

A surprise birthday party was organised by his loving wife Mrs.Ronke Peters.

Zimbabwe in crisis

The crisis in zimbabwe have deepen has Police in Zimbabwe said Friday they have put seven opposition members of parliament on a wanted list, a development that is likely to further dampen the possibility of talks between President Robert Mugabe and his rivals.

Robert Mugabe won re-election as Zimbabwean president in a controversial and disputed election.

The seven lawmakers are wanted in connection with crimes ranging from inciting public violence to attempted murder, said police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena.

The African Union issued a resolution this week urging dialogue between Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the Movement for Democratic Change, to end violence that has plagued the country. The AU said it hopes dialogue may even lead to a national unity government.

An MDC spokesman said the arrests would hurt the chances of any dialogue.

"How can we go to the table when half the leadership is either on the run or in police custody?" said MDC Director of Information Luke Tamborinyoka.

The MDC has demanded the release of political prisoners as a precondition to talks with the ruling ZANU-PF party. Tsvangirai said this week that violence in Zimbabwe created conditions that are "not conducive" to negotiation

political editor

celebratingafrica magazine

MAMA G--NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS

What has made you relevant over the years?

I give God every encomium I receive in the industry. I believe it has been God at work.

What makes you such a good actress?

I still give it back to God because without God, I am nothing. I believe God has endowed everybody with diverse talents. It took so long for me to discover what God has put in me, this is because of certain things around me -my religion and my kind of upbringing. I thought I was going to get too exposed if I joined the industry, so, I just concentrated more on my radio job and people were appreciating me. When I was in Radio Nigeria; I was appreciated.

Tell me about your experience at Radio Nigeria

I was a continuity announcer before I was made a producer. Later on, I was retrenched. I tried my best to get back, but they didn’t take me for reasons I do not know. I even went for a fresh employment exercise there, but they did not take me. But God later brought me into the film industry. Now, if anybody asks me to come back to Radio Nigeria as an announcer, I won’t do it. God has deposited something into everybody. I believe those who are suffering today have not discovered their talents.

When did you start acting as a professional?

I will say it goes way back because acting on radio and stage is also acting. When I was in secondary school, I was always associating myself with the drama group. I used to represent my school in festivals of art and culture, which no longer hold now. The festivals helped develop talents in children. If a child can interpret a poem, he can interpret a script. These things no longer hold; that is why our children are roaming about the streets. I later went to a teacher training college, where we did a stage play titled Hamlet, which was an adaptation from Shakespeare’s book. I was chosen to play the role of Hamlet, which was the lead role.
We did the play half way because it was a long novel. But all the invited schools were screaming that they wanted us to finish the play. We had to promise to stage another performance and during the rehearsals, the literature teacher said I should play the role half way and another lady should play the other half because the lines were many. We later invited other students from neighbouring schools to come and watch with a token gate fee. After I played my own role of first Hamlet and the other girl came up when it was time for Hamlet to come up, everybody started shouting, saying they wanted me to continue the role. Our literature teacher told them that it was because the book is voluminous that we had to share it, but the audience said we should take our time, that they would be back. That was how we had to do it for the third time and I found myself cramming the whole book easily.
The audience was times two of the previous outing because the news of the whole thing had spread. And from there, people started calling me Hamlet even as far as Enugu. I later became an announcer with Radio Nigeria, which also gave me fame in the East. I also joined the radio drama group and I was being paid in the drama group as well. My take home from the drama group was almost double my salary, so I was so engrossed that when the retrenchment came, it was a bang. But thank God for where he has placed me now.

How did you now get into the movie industry?

Actually, things became very hard at a stage. I got married and my husband got sick and it was very serious. He had diabetes, hypertension and he was always having crisis. My in-laws were not friendly at all. Since I’d lost my job, I was into everything; it was just too much struggle for me. I did birthday cakes and so many things to make money. I even joined those decorating houses for burial because I was the bread winner of the family then.
Though I had the mind of studying Theater Arts at IMT, but the year I was admitted, the school was disqualified from running the programme on the basis that their stage wasn’t good enough. So, I was given Fine and Applied Arts in lieu of Theater Arts and I majored in graphic art. It was from there that Radio Nigeria employed me when they came for a programme in the school. I later went to Enugu State University to study Mass Communication but I could not finish because I was so financially down. I stopped in 1998. Then, I found it difficult to pay my school fees and that of my children. The stress was all over me and one of my cousins advised me to stop and I stopped. But next year, I will be going back to school to study Theater Arts or Mass Communication.

Tell me more about the struggle

There was a Christmas I did not have anything, there were days we had nothing at home. We were always struggling with what my husband would eat and his drugs, my children went for days without food. I really love those children because they really stood by me.

You have not said how you got into movie industry.

That same cousin of mine introduced me to one Frank who worked with Chika Okpala (Chief Zebrudaya). He introduced me to him and they gave me one jingle to do and paid me N5000; that was the reason we celebrated Christmas that year. Before that, I had gone to a very secluded village to fast and pray on my situation and after that prayer, God was just opening doors for me. The jingle was like a windfall. And from there, the present chairman of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) in Enugu State discovered me because I played the role of his wife in that jingle. Later, when he got a contract with the Women Commission in Abuja to run a series on NTA Network for women, he gave the lead role to me.
So when we were on location, the cast and crew were asking how come I wasn’t in the movie industry since I was so good on set. They invited me to auditions and I was afraid of my association then, which is the Scripture Union. But the cast said since it was God that deposited the talents in me, it couldn’t be sinful. And true to my fear, the SU disowned me when I started acting. But from then on, people started casting me for roles.

When did you do your first home video?

That was in 1998. I did Out of Cage. There was also Amina part one and two. My roles in the past movies now encouraged the producers of Authority to give me a lead role, and that was the movie that gave me the much-needed publicity. Afterward, everybody wanted me to play lead for them and I’ve not rested till today. That is the reason I can never stop giving God praises. Let me tell you, my matter got so bad that my second son said during a discussion that I should stop trying because I could never make it again. He said all that was left for me was to raise them to the level where they could cater for me. I told him to keep quiet because once there was life there was hope. Now, if I remind him, he will say he said it as a child. I am happy, not because I am making money, but the fame that is making me happy. There are people who expect me to be on screen most time. That is why if I have fever or malaria, I still want to go on set. Let me use this medium to appreciate my fans, they are the reason why I’m still acting.

With all of this, what did you learn from life?

I have learnt that God will never abandon anybody. He has a plan for every individual. Once there is life, there is hope. Don’t lose hope there is more to life.

I learnt you later lost your husband

Yes.

Is that the reason you put so much of yourself into movies when you play widow?

Well, they say experience is the best teacher. He was sick for quite a long time. I thank God for his life. He eventually died on January 27, 2002.

How has life been without him?

His vacuum is there, but we have to forge ahead.

How many children do you have?
I have four biologically and some other dependants.

Why do you want to go back to school?

I like education and I don’t think age is a barrier. I want to make a statement that what I could not get in education then I can get now. Anything could happen in the future and I don’t want anything to be a barrier. I believe the higher I go, the more impact I make in the movie industry.

Are you planning to remarry?

Never. I’m married to my first son.

What is your greatest fear in life?
Dying without Christ. I wouldn’t want to die without God.

VENUS WILLIAMS CAPTURED HER FIFTH WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIP

Venus Williams captured her fifth Wimbledon title by beating her sister Serena 7-5 6-4 in a high-quality final at the All England Club on Saturday.

The 28-year-old becomes one of only four players to have lifted the trophy at least five times in the Open era.

Serena made a ferocious start, forging a 4-2 lead, but Venus clawed her way back to 4-4 before breaking at 6-5 to snatch the first set in 53 minutes.
Both players maintained a high standard throughout in blustery conditions, but Venus had the edge when it counted.
She sealed victory when Serena sprayed a backhand into the tramlines but her celebrations were muted as she approached the net to give her sister a hug.
”I can‘t believe that it‘s five. When you‘re in the final against Serena, five seems so far away. She played so awesome so it was really a task,” said Venus, now a seven-time Grand Slam champion.
”It‘s unbelievable that I have won five, especially with some of the injuries that I‘ve had. To know every time I come back I have the chance to make history. I love this place.”
Serena had beaten her sister in their two previous Wimbledon finals in 2002 and 2003, but she admitted Venus had deserved victory.
”She was a little better today. It didn‘t work out the way I planned,” she said.
”It‘s a great celebration for our family, we‘re really happy. I‘ve been working really hard and I‘m so happy at least one of us was able to win.”

The sisters have always struggled to produce their best against each other but their seventh Grand Slam final exceeded all expectations.

The competitive tone was set early in the way Serena took on Venus‘s serve from the outset and broke in the opening game thanks to a stunning backhand winner.

She pressed home the advantage by holding to love and if there remained any doubt that there would no quarter given, it was banished when Serena approached a short ball and hit it straight at her sister - with Venus somehow putting away the volley.
Serena had a point for a 4-1 lead but Venus saved it with another deft volley.

Venus clawed her way back to 4-4 but then have to save another two break points before the crowd witnessed the first sign that the two competitors might be related.
Serena hit a backhand which she thought was going wide, audibly admonishing herself as she did so, but the wind kept the ball in, and the umpire was forced to call a let.

ANOTHER DEATH IN NOLLYWOOD,ALADE AROMIRE

The curtain fell suddenly, finally, on one of the leading lights and pioneer of Yoruba home video industry, Muyideen Alade Aromire. Aromire was the first Nigerian to own a vernacular pay television channel, Yotomi TV.

He died on Friday night at the Soleye Hospital, Ikeja, after he was reportedly hit by a trailer along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Aromire was said to be returning from the site of his new house along the expressway, which he had planned to move into on July 15.

Prior to 1984, film lovers in Nigeria made do with cinema houses for their movie entertainment until Alade Aromire produced the first made-in-Nigeria home video titled ‘Ekun.’ The production of ‘Ekun’ on VHS format opened a new chapter in the evolution of home video film industry in the country. According to him, he borrowed N27,000 from his parents to produce that first movie. It was premiered at Super Cinema, Lagos in December 1984.

The name, Alade Aromire, rings a bell in the Yoruba movie industry and television broadcasting. One of the second generation home video producers of the Yoruba extraction, Alade, as he was popularly called by his fans, was prolific.
Before he disappeared from the scene a few years ago for reasons he described as "personal," the artiste told Sunday Sun that he had to his credit more than 200 films, including appearances. He bounced back on the entertainment scene with Yotomi Television, the nation’s first vernacular pay channel.

His quest to improve on what obtains in the film industry took him outside to West Germany, as it was known then. In Cologne he enrolled at a Goethe College there originally to study their language, but while there, he discovered they ran a crash programe in film and television production specifically for foreign students and lectures were delivered in English.
The course lasted three months. Afterwards, he was posted to Dutch Willlick Television Village on the outskirts of Dortmund. While at the place, he made up his mind that, if his hosts could run a television station based on their own dialect of Dutch language, he could do something similar when he got back to Nigeria. He returned and started Yotomi TV. By the time he died on Friday, a restless man, Aromire had made forays into real estate with his Yotomi Estate.
He was a songwriter, scriptwriter and an entertainer.
W

hen Sunday Sun contacted Adebayo Salami (Oga Bello) he said he received the news with great shock. "I am really perplexed, infact I am really really disturbed, I don’t know what to say. As I am talking to you I am in shock. Alade was somebody everybody loved in the movies industry, he was very very innovative. For him to just die how is too painful. We are going to miss him".
When probed further concerning the recent deaths in the entertainment industry, Salami said that it is because entertainers are popular.
"People die in other sectors, but because we are in the eye of the public that is why people give it a spiritual connotation."

Also Prince Jide Kosoko (President of the Association of Theatre Practitions, ANTP) said: "It is a shocking thing to have lost him to the cold hands of death at this stage. The man was too young to die at this moment, but what can one do?”
“Alade pioneered home video in Nigeria. He was a focused man, who knows his onions. He was industrious and very friendly. He meant different things to different people. You know he was my brother I will really miss him greatly."

When asked about the spiritual interpretation about the deaths in the entertainment industry he says "lawyers, drivers and other people to are dying. "There is no spiritual thing to it, man will die at his own time. I am only praying to God to give us long life."