Entertainment News

Goldie’s Death: Why Police May Go After Denrele Edun – Report

Sunday, 24 February 2013 04:14

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The last good glimpse Nigerians had of Goldie was of her photos on the red carpet of the 55th Grammy Awards, where she appeared as a woman full of life. Her death four days later on Valentine’s Day was one hell of a shock for her fans, friends and family. Her demise evoked a volcano of mixed feeling as many haters took to the social media to further hex the soul of the deceased. In the wake of the Valentine’s Day tragedy, damning reports began to emerge: drugs, hedonism, a little-known marriage, and husband-snatching allegations.

Goldie’s untimely death stirred a storm of controversies that cannot simply be wished away. The big question revolves around her marriage. Before her death, if you’d ask showbiz followers about Goldie’s marital status, two out of three responses would be “single.”

The remaining would be “no idea.” It hardly occurred to anyone outside her close circle that the Harvey surname she was bearing was not a stage but her marriage name. Indeed, the Skibobo singer created a cloud of deceit around her marital status. During press conferences, questions about her marital status were curtly cut off. On Facebook, Goldie’s marital status was inconclusive. “Single” but not searching and an occasional vague affirmation that she was “in a relationship,” was all Goldie offered as explanation for her marital status.

Many did not know Goldie wedded let alone, married a white man. Now a certain Andrew Harvey, a Briton, has announced himself, by uploading photos of their wedding that proved beyond doubt the verity of their 2005 wedding. So Goldie was married? Really?

At the BBA Stargame, Goldie was viewed through the lens of a single girl. Against this new background, you begin to wonder, what the hell was a 30-year-old woman with a seven-year-old marriage doing in the wild, whimsical house of the Big Brother Africa, where sex can happen at a short notice? Then you begin to wonder, where was Mr. Andrew Harvey when Goldie was gallivanting with Prezzo? A married Goldie flirted and got cosy with Prezzo, going as far as kissing him. For a married woman, that was so un-African.

Even outside the BBA, her love chess with Prezzo continued. There were strong indications that at the time of her death, the Nigerian pop diva and the Kenyan rapper were still love interests. One doesn’t have to be a Sherlock Holmes to deduce that the marriage was not the made-in-heaven picture Mr. Harvey is now painting. Now Harvey is not making Goldie a saint as much as he is further casting aspersion on her image as a married wife.

Toxic reports in the wake of her shocking departure insinuated that Goldie’s was into drugs. These allegation, debunked by close pals, are just mere conjectures. What is common knowledge was that her friendship with Denrele Edun, the eccentric Channel O presenter, who also happened to be her business partner and co-presenter of their impending reality show, was not ordinary.

Now talking about Denrele, the initial story was that Goldie died in Denrele’s arms. The question is: where, in the house, or on the way to the hospital, because the hospital declared the singer dead on arrival. There had been different accounts about Goldie’s last minutes. The stories, sketchy but riddled with inconsistencies. So who is going to give us a blow-by-blow account of the last minute, including the names of people who were there? One report said her brother was in the house with her. When Entertainment Express visited her apartment at No 30B Ologun Kufere Street Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, the following day, the apartment was deserted save for a weeping househelp who went in, packed her two suitcases and fled from the house.

Then you ask again a whole lot of questions: What is the police doing about it? Where are her family members?

The autopsy report indicated that Goldie died of hypertension. But the public needs to know the back story, particularly, the details of the last few minutes before her death. What, where, when, how, and who were the eye-witnesses?

Questions, questions, questions. It is better to let the dead to rest in peace. And in this clime, we do not speak ill of the dead. But this has to be said about the late entertainer: Goldie lied to us. It is no crime for a celebrity to keep her marital life out of the public radar – Onyeka Onwenu did it successfully. A stern I-am-married-but-my-marriage-is-not-a-matter-for-discussion response from Goldie would have been enough. Goldie misinformed us by her utterance, she misled us by her actions. She owed us an apology, even in death.

An insider, who spoke with us recently, said the family of Goldie wants the Police to invite Denrele, for questioning, since he claimed that their hale and hearty daughter died in his arms. “This I can tell you is the family’s position’s. They want Denrele to tell them and the world the circumstances that led to Goldie’s death”, disclosed this insider who does not want his name in print.

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‘Men Can’t Resist My Boobs’

Sunday, 24 February 2013 04:10

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With many movie roles to her credit, articulate and beautiful script interpreter, Adediwura Adesegha, stands among the rising movie stars who are being tipped to take over from the established acts.

The English graduate of University of Lagos attained her present height on the heels of her talent; focus, commitment as well as determination that make her excel in whatever she does.

The Entertainer engaged the crossover actress in an interview session and so much was uncovered about her. She spoke about her career, why she’s not a desperate actress and why she’s producing her own movie. She also revealed the reason why she feels her boobs are her assets. Excerpts:

What have you been doing lately because you seldom appear in movies these days?

I have been working, so I am a little bit surprised by that. Although, it has not been an everyday thing, I grab each opportunity as it comes. I have some of my works that have just been released in the market. There are movies I have been working on, while some are out, some are yet to be released.

Some are also of the opinion that you do Yoruba movies only?

That is totally incorrect. Although, I do more of Yoruba stuff because that is where I find myself. I also do take part in English productions but they are mainly soap operas. I take part in Eldorado by Fidelis Duker and there are some others in the pipeline as I speak with you. So, those who say or think I do only Yoruba movies are wrong.

You appear like one who is not really driven by passion. Is it so?

The passion to be an actress is based on how you want to portray yourself as an actress. Some actresses might want recognition by all means but that does not apply to me. What I do is that I want people to talk about me; I want people to call me and not me forcing myself on them. I don’t want a situation whereby people will feel so assured of my attendance at an event, even when they don’t know if I will be coming or not. So, its not that my passion for the industry is not strong, the fact is that if you become a regular face at parties and events, even the media men who write about you will start looking for new faces to write about. So, you won’t catch me doing that because I have my dignity and pride. Let me give you a scenario, some months back, I celebrated my birthday and a lot of big names were in attendance, and I wondered if I had reached that level to attract such personalities. That is how it should be.

How would describe yourself now because you used to describe yourself as upcoming?

Naturally, everyone would like to elevate him or herself. Presently, I am in the third level because I see it as a level thing. It can be likened to a child that is just born; the child will not crawl the same day he or she is born. In the same vein, its not the day the child crawls that he or she will walk, so it is all about life stages. But some people don’t want to crawl before they walk. I am in the third level simply because I am about to produce my own movie. My first level was rough, but I learnt and mixed up with people. I tried to force myself on them in a descent way by befriending them. But at the second level, I started getting jobs, some lead roles and other sub-roles. My third level now is how to elevate myself. I want to do things for myself. I want to do things for people and society too. When I produce my movie, premiere and sell it, then I can confidently say I am at the forefront.

We have something we call a plot in every movie. There is expository level where you expose yourself, there is rising action and that is where I am now and there is also the climax. After the climax, you have falling action. This is a fact and people who have gone to school to be educated in movie production will tell you this. Actresses like Liz Benson had their climax then, while Funke Akindele is in her climax now, she will still get to her falling action because other people will grow. That’s a fact when it comes to this job

Will it be right to say that actresses such as Bukky Wright and Fathia Balogun are now in the ‘falling action’?

Yes, if you say that, you will be right. At a point, nobody knew Funke Akindele but now she’s in her climax as an actress. Genevieve Nnaji, Liz Benson, Fathia Balogun, Joke Silva and even Bukky Wright have all had their climaxes, but presently they are in the falling action. They will still get to resolution because it is how you manage the line of action that matters.

What is your view on how far an actress should interpret a script?

It all depends on the kind of job you are doing and the kind of roles you are interpreting. For me, it gets to a point that you tell your producer if you don’t like the way they are portraying you. It’s not that I am being proud but it will get to a point when you tell your producer, ‘this is what I can do’. I want to give back to the society that has made me, but I want to do it in the most appropriate way. The kind of people you associate with also tells a lot about you. There was a time a certain university wanted to do a programme and asked some of the young ladies in the university to pick a female role model and when this girl mentioned a name in the movie industry, they simply told her that that person was not a good role model. It would interest you that the name that was mentioned was a top actress in the movie industry and although the media sees her as a top actress, the fact remains that her image is bad. So, it tells you a lot about the kind of movie industry we have. Don’t get me wrong here, not all actresses are bad.

Is there any part of your body you consider as your greatest asset, the part men can’t resist?

We have the physical aspect and the spiritual and other aspects that surround that question. When we talk about physical attributes, it has to do with my shape, it has to do with whatever you think you can flaunt. For example, at a nightclub where you are expected to dress in a manner that portrays a club girl, in that case, I think I have something I should be able to flaunt. I have got boobs (laughs). On a serious note, it has to do with your educational background. You have to be educated. The way the world is going now, you must be talented and outspoken. You must be an extrovert and must be able to face challenges. I think I have a sound educational background and so too are my physical attributes. So, I am well packaged.

You must be having it tough with men because of your shape and boobs. How do you handle that?

My boobs and shape do get me attracted to men just like it happens to every other lady that have got it but I think I have been able to handle it well. Besides, it is really no big deal to get advances from men because it’s like a daily routine, but its left to you as a lady to be responsible and respect yourself.

You have been able stay without scandals, what is the secret?

What is considered as scandals for actresses mostly is their relationship with men. The ability to control what you do is important and I don’t see why my affair with men should create scandals for me, it’s a matter of choice. If you want to play along and if you feel otherwise, you play yourself out of the game.

When would you get married?

Having a man to oneself is another job entirely. You have to search, open your eyes and pray. Its not something you just say ‘okay, I love him’, while what you have for him is not real. Some will be in love at the beginning but later, as the year rolls by, the love goes off. As regards when I will marry, I will keep you posted.

How often do you have sex?

I read in a magazine that if you can have sex like three times in a week or more, it’s really another form of exercise. So, sex is good. But how often I have it is personal and not for the public to know (laughter).

Tell us more about the movie you want to shoot?

Basically, it’s a project I want to use to launch myself as a producer. The storyline will be about trust and how you get to be stabbed in the back by a person you trust.

What is unique about the movie?

There is no storyline that has not been done before. However, it depends on how you interpret, produce and present it to the people. This is because at the end of the day, people might not even look at it as something that has been done before; rather, they will see the uniqueness in your own job.

Do you have a working title for the movie?

It will be titled 7pm. But we are having a challenge in picking a date to role tape. However, we are not rushing things because we want to do things properly.

Don’t you think it’s too early for you to become a producer?

I don’t want to believe there should be a particular number of years one must have spent in the industry before producing a movie. We have seen people who don’t belong to the industry that are producers; so, I really do not see any big deal in it. However, I will totally subscribe to the idea that whatever that is being done should be of standard. Having said that, before you decide you want to do a particular thing, you would have searched yourself and asked if you are ready for it. This is because there is nothing you do in this world that does not have its ups and downs. You have to face challenges. The fact that some people produced their first movies and they tell you that they don’t think they want to produce any more because of challenges they faced does not deter me. So, yes, I am ready for this new road and its challenges. Besides, it has become a kind of trend in the industry that you are considered progressing when you start producing your own movies and I don’t want to be left out, especially, when I am convinced that I have got the wherewithal to be a producer. Also, I can tell you that my fans will not be disappointed when the job is concluded.

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Lest We Immortalize Nuisance: The 'Goldie' Situation

Thursday, 21 February 2013 12:37

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About ten years ago I lost a friend in an armed robbery incident. Obviously the armed robbers were not satisfied with robbing they needed to make a point by harming someone in the house and my friend’s mother was their target. As they swung the axe my friend who was the scholar of our class in secondary school protected his mother with his head….he died; no national award, no postmortem speech from the Governor and of course no celebrity burial; he was just another guy, the fact that he took a battle axe to his head for his mother was irrelevant

This and many more of it happens in a country wherein people get millions both in local and foreign currency for playing football; a country wherein comedians shake hands with the President and women who kiss strange men on camera in the name of acting take home National Award and an immoral youth who made fame singing about his private part is given special opportunity to interview the President in a desperate campaign strategy because the thinking is that the community is populated by zombies and bimbos who will vote in a PHD holder on the “honour” of a nuisance whose only relevance to society, apart from lewd music, is competition in air and space. Thus the question every sane Nigerian should be asking is when will this madness of underserved honour stop?

The death of the musician from Ekiti, Goldie Harvey, and the attempt to make it seem like we lost an icon is another and perhaps the worst of all these madness. I do not believe that death, which we will all face, should make you a hero except you died an honourable death. When people just drop dead we grieve and console the family not tell blatant lies as to who they were. This is why the statement of the Ekiti State Governor is worrisome. Mr. Kayode Fayemi is reported to have described Goldie as a “great daughter of Ekiti State” and one has to wonder upon what was this greatness achieved? Are people now great for singing meaningless songs with promiscuous suggestions or for taking and publishing suggestive photos of themselves?

Since when did we consider it greatness to appeal to the intimate cravings of perverts and run after men on camera in the name of a reality show that is far from reality? Since when did it become great achievement that a lady is even thought of as being a junkie in her life time? How can this be great?

In the past fathers will tell their children “don’t bring shame to this family” but nowadays shame and shamelessness is celebrated with such noise that you think the Devil himself is in charge of people’s life and even he has gone crazy.

Ironically, around the same period this unfortunate death occurred Governor Theodora Orji of Abia State was commending Mrs. Nwanyieze Prosper for winning the Purity Queen title for a lady who kept her virginity until her marriage; surprisingly some Nigerians criticized the Governor and even ‘accused’ him of giving her a car whereas Governor Kayode Fayemi was praised for describing Goldie as a “bright star” among other accolades including that she lived a “fulfilled life”. Indeed the world is upside down.

The problem with giving honour to people who did dishonourable acts is that people will definitely emulate them. The Dolly Parton’s of this world made it a fashion for women to expose their cleavage; years on women have lost their husbands to such exposure and homes have collapsed; the Dr. Dre’s of this world made being “gangster” a fashionable thing and years later the gangsters are increasing and we even have a gangster in the White House killing innocent people with Drones….Martin Luther’s dreams became a Nightmare. And this list goes on and on; for every irresponsible person you honour you make irresponsibility the “swag”, the same way for every man who dies for his mother you honour you make standing up against oppression and protecting the weak the in-thing….make your choice.

Lastly, we must clarify two issues. The first one is with regards to speaking “evil” about the dead while the second one is the “who are you to Judge” comedy.

Firstly, the dead has already met what he or she put forward hence there is no need to speak of its evil. What there is need to do however is to either call the living to an example to live by if the dead is worthy of emulation or to warn the living to stay away from a wasteful lifestyle like that of the dead who lived life as if death was never going to come and this is the real lesson here; life is short, if you live it like Goldie your death may come and meet you in that state; what will you tell your Creator? We cannot pretend this is not the lesson here; it will be one lie too many

Secondly, they ask us not to Judge and we say to them since we are in the spirit of not judging kindly don’t judge the location of your mouth so that you put your food in your nose. We say to them that in this spirit of not judging please cross the road without judging that a vehicle is close enough to knock you down; maybe when you are in the air you will realise your stupidity.

We do not Judge a person who has Faith that he or she will be in the hellfire, we do not Judge that the person’s bad is more than his/her good, we do not Judge if God will forgive a believer…..but we Judge that fornication and the promotion of it is EVIL, and that the one who represented evil dead does not make evil good.

Some others will say an adult can do what he or she likes and you don’t have to force your life on others. The question we have for this set of confused mentally colonized perverts is that this same justification is given to homosexuality and it will soon be given to Inbreeding so that if a grown up man and his grown up daughter say they fell in love and want to marry your kind will say well it’s their life, it does not affect me….can you see now that you are sick?

Conclusively, the lessons from this unfortunate incident can be summarized as thus;

1) Death can come at any time; be prepared to meet your Lord.

2) Fame and fortunes are but illusions, what matters is your relationship with your Creator.

3) The enjoyment of this world is fleeting; don’t let it deceive you.

4) Live a good life; one that does not involve promoting lewdness or any type of evil; death and Judgment is real and it is no respecter of status.

5) It was the honour given her musical mentors that led the lady to not just music but a meaningless form upon which her life ended so let’s ensure that we do not turn scum into icons because people will sure emulate them.
May God Almighty give the family fortitude to bear the lost and guide them aright.

Eseoghene Al-Faruq Ohwojeheri
Benin City

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N50m Fraud: RMD Reportedly On The Run

Wednesday, 20 February 2013 14:26

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Philo Nkem Ajufo, the acting General Manager of Delta State Tourism Board, has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja over her role in a financial scheme.

Ms. Ajufo is reportedly being quizzed for conniving with her boss, Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD), to embezzle N50 million from the state Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Mr. Mofe Damijo, a well known Nollywood star, is the commissioner in charge of the ministry. Our EFCC said the commissioner was also being sought by the anti-corruption agency, but he has been elusive.

An EFCC source confirmed Ms. Ajufo’s arrest. “As we talk, the Delta State Tourism GM, one Mrs. Nkem Ajufo, is been held in our headquarters here in Abuja over her involvement in the N50 million fraud. Her boss, Mr. Richard Mofe Damijo, is not left out but as we speak he is still avoiding us,” said the source.

Two sources at the ministry told our reporter that the EFCC last week delivered a letter inviting Ms. Ajufo to appear at their headquarters. She was reportedly asked to bring along relevant documents concerning the N50 million that was meant for the purported 2007 Delta Expo event which never held.

The sources disclosed that Mr. Mofe Damijo went underground on learning about the current development.
One source told our reporter that the commissioner, who is reported to be building himself a massive underground edifice in Lagos, was trying to use political contacts in Delta and Abuja to scuttle the EFCC’s investigation and washed his hands off the scam.

SaharaReporters learnt that Mr. Mofe Damijo denied knowledge of the money during the budget defense exercise.
Several calls and sms texts sent to Mr. Damijo and Ms. Ajufo’s mobile lines were not answered. After a while, the commissioner switched off his mobile phone.

Late last year, Saharareporters had broken the news of the N50 million allegedly embezzled by the commissioner and the acting GM of the state’s tourism board.

Several sources in the commissioner’s office had confided that a former commissioner in the Ministry had applied for the N50 million to organize the “Delta State Expo 2007,” disclosing that the state could not release the funds then due to some financial challenges. However, when the funds were released into the Tourism account in May, 2012, Mr. Mofe Damijo allegedly said that the ministry could no longer carry out the event since it had elapsed by six years and Deltans would have forgotten about the event.

But our reporter obtained “Forms of Advance Warrant” on release of funds from the Ministry of Finance indicating that the N50 million was supposed to be spent on the original event for which it was approved. The warrant order, numbered 00000117, 00000114 and 00000115, was signed by one Ms. P.O. Evuojapha for the Commissioner of Finance.
SaharaReporters learnt that N35 million of the N50 million was supposed to have gone to the tourism board.
A reporter for SaharaReporters learned that Mr. Mofe Damijo issued a check to the tourism board in the name of its acting GM, Ms. Ajufo. She in turn reportedly deposited the sum into her First Bank private account with account number (3006131619) operated under her name, Nkem Philo Ajufo. Our sources said she and Mr. Mofe Damijo subsequently shared the money.

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No More Sex, No Re-Marrying – Patience Ozokwor

Sunday, 17 February 2013 08:33

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Call her Margaret Thatcher of Nollywood and you will not be accused of any wrong. In deed, in most of the roles she plays in the movies, she comes across as a no-nonsense woman. But then, many wouldn’t believe that she is direct opposite of the ‘wicked’ character she often potrays on screen.

A day with Patience Ozokwor at her residence in Enugu revealed the actress popularly known as Mama Gee as a devoted Christian and dedicated prayer warrior who would not hurt a fly. The widow and mother of four children was a reporter`s delight as she kept the tape rolling throughout the exclusive interview session. She categorically told The Entertainer that though men do pester her for marriage as old as she is, she has decided not to remarry. Ozokwor, however, maintained that if she comes to this world again, she would choose her husband by herself. The actress bared her mind on a wide range of issues. Excerpts:

What have you been doing lately?

I have been working with the youth, to help the youth who have talents to be able to use their talents. If you look at the industry the way it is now, some of them find it difficult to be noticed. I am planning to have a talent hunt soon. You may ask why I am putting more into entertainment, I want Nollywood to be bigger than Hollywood. I decided that this year I am going to do it with entertainment and make sure that whoever wins will get what he/she should get.

To what would you attribute your recent awards?

It is God`s grace and I give it back to Him because He’s the one that enabled me to fulfill that. It is a sign of hardwork, since God has given me the enablement to work hard and sometimes God gives you the enablement to work hard and you won’t work hard, it makes God a liar. He is the reason I got those awards so I dedicate them to Him.

How was growing up, were you born with silver spoon?

Some children don’t have people taking care of them. I had my school fees paid, I had good education. I had everything. Well, my father was not too rich but we were comfortable. He wasn’t begging for food. He was a landlord and then my uncle that took me was doing well. My uncle took me when I was six years old. He just loved and raised me.

You worked at Radio Nigeria, what was the experience like?

I was an announcer with Radio Nigeria before I became a staff in 1982 and I worked till retrenchment came in 1984. Within those few years it was really good experience. I was employed as announcer, later I was transferred to production department. I was producing for women and children. I had debate and teachers programme as well. The retrenchment came as a surprise from the government, they shut down the radio and laid off every staff. That was how we got retrenched.

After retrenchment, what next?

I entered the movie industry after my retrenchment from Radio Nigeria, and I started putting young girls into my fashion designing company because I did Fine and Applied Arts in school. I was lucky to be among 30 Nigerian women that were sent to Cameroun for small scale enterprenuership course for nine weeks. I learnt a lot of handcraft there and I was able to establish an outfit where I trained young girls on handcraft, fashion designing and catering. I had an outfit called Art Queenties, my business aim was teaching young girls, fashion designing, hair dressing, beauty and body care, and kitchen services. They were doing handcraft too. When my husband fell sick, for so many years he was sick. I couldn’t tend to him and take care of my business at the same time. So, I gave up on the business. Later, I got a political appointment with Udi Local Government as WDO, I couldn’t hand over to anybody. I had to shut down the business.

I also taught in a school. I was teaching home economics in a secondary school. I went to Institute of Management and Technology and I used the certificate to get a teaching job. From there, I went for the political appointment. I later left the political appointment because of my husband’s illness. After my husband’s illness I was about going back to the same business when an idea came for me to join the movie industry. And it is paying me far more than anything I can think of

At the beginning of your career, did anybody try to discourage you?

My senior sister tried to discourage me, but every member of the family said ‘forge ahead’. My husband was actually sick at that time, and her only reason was that people would think that I had abandoned my husband. But I said that’s how I get the money to maintain him; to go to the hospital. The children had grown when I entered the industry so they usually take him to the hospital when I was on location. I made out time to be with him in the hospital too.

Why are you always acting a wicked mother-in-law?

I only try to expose the ills in the society through my actions, that is why I do it to the best of my knowledge. If you do it flimsly people will not understand you, but if you do it deeply people will really know and those who are involved know themselves now. People are changing, some young girls are even learning to stay with their mothers-in-law, they have discovered that their mothers-in-law don’t like them, they are discovering what they do wrong and what their mothers-in-law do wrong, some are trying to bring them to balance. So, that is the essence of what I do and I will not hesitate to do it because the message is passed and people understand it. If you ask them now they will tell you ‘she is not like that but she is only exposing evil and wickedness in our society’ and I have to expose wickedness to the best of my knowledge.

What is your assessment of Nigerian women?

Nigerian women are great, they are hard working. I am not exaggerating, Nigerian women who are trading do their trade very well, and they make their living and train their children through trading. They are helpmates for their husbands. Some of them don’t even look up to their husbands anymore, they don’t even wait on their husbands, they prefer to fend for their family, they have succeeded where the men have failed. Women who are widows are even greater, you see them struggling every day, you see them climbing buses, travelling to the north and south to get goods and sell them. Some of them come into politics and they show their might. Nigerian women are great, I doff my hat for them.

What would you say about widowhood?

Mine is not an exemplary one because I don’t have anyone disturbing me. There are some widows who are being disturbed by their brother in-law, sister in-law; they make things difficult for them. These are some of the things I showcase in the movies. On my own side, my husband died when my children had grown up so nobody disturbed us. My brothers in-law are nice, some people don’t have the opportunity and luck that I had, so that is why I don’t look at my own as a good example. Actually, nobody is there to help you but God. When you put your trust in God, God will always honour what you do as long as you don’t put your hands into bad thing. The best thing is to comport yourself, be a widow indeed and look up to God for help.

Have you ever been intimidated because you are a widow?

No, I can’t remember anything like that. My husband’s people have been solidly behind me. In fact, if you want to get their anger, touch me and they will tell you that they don’t joke with me, not because I am a star, in fact they don’t maltreat any widow in my husband’s family.

Why do we have so many divorce cases in the industry?

I have never left my family. I was with my family until my husband died and I am still with them. I have not even remarried, it is not that people didn’t come for me to marry them but I am comfortable and happy here. I don’t think there is any family I will go to that is better than the family where I am already. If marriage fails in the industry, it is because we are popular. A lot of people in other sectors have failed marriages and nobody has said anything about them. Our own is not peculiar, the thing is that some men marry actresses because they think they have money. But when they see that the money is not there it becomes a problem. You marry a girl for love and not because she is a star. If you marry her because of who she is then the marriage will last. Sometimes you get endorsement and your husband take it and then run away from the house. The next you hear is that he has remarried.

What advice do you have for married actresses having some challenges at the home front?

Actually our job is highly demanding, if you are not careful you may be away from your family for a long time. For instance, I didn’t spend Christmas with my children because I was in Ghana. I went to Ghana to shoot. I came back to bury my brother and after that I went to Ghana again for an award. The children missed me a lot and I missed them. There wasn’t anything like Christmas for me likewise some girls in the industry, but my own is even easier because my children are mature except some of my grandchildren or some of the adopted children that are here. Besides, my daughters take care of them. So, my advice is that when you have a lot to do, you should take permission from your producer and go home to stay for a while. When your children are on holiday, take them to location and stay in a hotel or rented apartment with them so that when you are going out in the morning they will see you. Make sure you keep in touch; if there is communication gap, it increases trouble and phones don’t really tell where you are. Sometimes, your husband may think you are not on location, that you have gone somewhere else. Let him come and visit you on location. If your husband comes to location two or three times, he will doff his cap because its really not easy.

What do you miss most about your husband?

His calmness, he is so calm. He had a way of letting go of a lot of things. I don’t even know why he should die, he is not a person that holds onto things or cries out for things no matter how stressful that thing is. I miss his company a lot because I am always around him. He doesn’t talk much, but you must know that he is there.

If you are to come to this world again what aspect of your life would you like to change?

I don’t know, I love everything about myself. I wouldn’t like to repeat some mistakes in life. If I would come to this world again, I wouldn’t like anything to affect my marriage. I would like to choose my husband by myself. I would want to be an entertainer again because being an actress would make you to affect people`s life. I would want Nollywood to be bigger than Hollywood.

What is Mama Gee’s typical day like?

I wake up and have fellowship with my family. If I am not going on location, I sit at home and relax; I like to relax a lot. Every moment means a lot to me. It is either I am cooking or working or I am praying.

What makes one a good actress?

The ability to interpret a story well without stress, some people suffer so much to even make it. But when the thing is inborn it doesn’t take anything from you. People would be wondering how come you are always on location and climbing higher. It is something in the blood.

Can you say you are fulfilled or have attained success in life?

I am still struggling. I might say I am comfortable but the journey is still far and I still have places to go. Once there is life you must keep moving. When they retire some people from work, you hear them say I am retired but not tired. I am comfortable but I really want to move further. I want to get to Hollywood.

What advice would you give to young women looking up to you?

They should know God no matter what they are passing through. Everybody has a deity they worship, but mine is God. I listen to Him and I read the Bible a lot. I spend time to pray on my own. If you want to be an actor, first of all ask yourself ‘do I have the ability to act ?’ ‘Do I have the talent ?’ It is not just that actresses are known. You may be in the industry but you won`t make that money. There are some who have the money but they don’t have the fame. When your motive is like ‘once I come into the industry it will help me to make quick money’, you might discover that you have been there for three years yet you didn’t make the money. And hunger will kill you and you begin to beg. Don’t put your trust in a man, don’t try to be me, try to be yourself. Tap that talent God has deposited in you. God is god of variety. If you cannot make it as an actor, you can be a camera man or a makeup artist. Unless you don’t want to work, the industry can accommodate any kind of person. But you have to be humble to stay under somebody.

What is the craziest thing a fan has done to you?

My fans are so crazy about me (laughs). They love me with passion, as I am here now people send me gifts from America and Germany. They ask: ‘do you know Mama Gee? Can you give this to her?’ Then they would bring it and I will take their numbers and call them to say thank you. I don’t know many of them, before I can say anything you see someone bring all kinds of clothes for me. My fans are crazy. Just crazy like me (laughs). They are crazy as I am. It is the Lord doing.

How do you manage to stay out of scandals?

Am I scandal free? Why I always overcome scandal is because I try to live a righteous and quiet life. Outside the crazy world of acting, I live a different life. I am a different person from the roles I play in the movies. I live a decent life. I am not a club person. I was not brought up in that way. I have never been into a club. The first time I saw a club was when I was shooting a film. I didn’t know all that and because of my nature people think I know everything. There are so many things I don’t know. Those who went to school with me will actually not believe that I act now. I hardly step out of the house, outside shooting I am in my house or I am in the church. Most times when they see me with somebody they think there is something going on between us; it is just that I must be in the company of people who love me.

Now that your husband is late how do you handle sexual urge?

I don’t even remember sex. I have the right to remarry but I don’t want to. So, why think about it. It is when you set your mind at it that you begin to desire it. I have erased it from my mind. When I see young people in love calling themselves ‘honey’, I just ignore it and move on. I don’t even remember sex because God has made me to be very busy. I am attending one function or the other. Even if I am in a relationship with a man, the man won`t feel much of me because I am very busy. Look at some young girls who are married, they don’t give enough time to their families, how much less an old woman like me. By God`s grace I am very busy. You can’t even bring it, once you bring it I cut you off.

What about lesbianism, there’s a rumour sometime ago that you’re going out with some girls?

I heard it too but nobody has ever tried it with me. Nobody has ever asked me to do it with her, so I wouldn’t know. Where are the young girls? Let them mention their names, who are they? Did you see any one in my house? Maybe because they don’t see me with men they thought I do women, no. For the fact that I play roles to expose the evil doesn’t mean I partake in it. No, that is just acting. I am a Christian and I don’t do such things. I will never ever try it. I can never do it. If I see somebody doing it, I will confront the person, some of them will tell you that I have confronted them. I used to tell them ‘if you are doing it, desist because it will send you to hell’.

You are a grandma, do men still toast you?

Yeah! Mmmh yes.

What is your experience like, how do you handle your male admirers?

I just tell them we can just be friends. I don’t drink, I don’t take alcohol, so we just chat and that’s all. I know my friends, they don’t even go into all that. They are serious-minded. You know the kind of friends you keep will make you have the urge to have sex. When I know I don’t have the power because of my religion. I don’t have the power to sleep with any man. I don’t even think about it. When people come up with it, I order them to stop, I don’t want it. If I tell you to stop and you didn’t stop. I will just cut you off. I will not pick your calls anymore.

Do they go to the extent that they want to marry you?

When they see that you don’t want to sleep with them they would say ‘okay, let me marry you’. And then I don’t want to remarry. I have a right to stay out of marriage and I have a right to stay in marriage. It is not difficult and that is a dream too. I want to be welcome by God when I die. Some of these men maybe they have wives too and they still want to sleep with me. At my age, any person that comes to me must have had a wife or be a widower. And if you have a wife, I will cut you off because you have a wife. If you are a widower, I don’t want to remarry. Young boys like you cannot come and ask me for that.

Has any situation humbled you?

When I see people suffering, I cry. If you want to be real emotional go to a motherless babies’ home. When I went to an orphanage in Kenya, the children sang for me. They said ‘we don’t want your money. We don’t want your shoes. We just want you to give us a home’. Oh god! I cried.

What is your philosophy of life?

Love everybody, love for all. Love conquers a lot of things. Even those who hate you, love them. I believe that when you love people, God heals you and bring you out of poverty. Only those who love can see God. That is why when I had misunderstanding with Mercy Johnson they thought that tomorrow I won`t talk to her. Why won`t I? We only had differences and we settled it and moved on. I was at her wedding. She was here in my house when my son got married. And people are there talking while we are in peace and love. Think about it.

How do you want to be remembered?

I am generally accepted by people, my fans will remember me for so many things; I have tried to affect people`s lives. I tried to help those who are weaker than me and I have tried to raise those hopeless children I adopted, I think you can see them around. I raised them, nurtured them and gave them hope. Some of them their mothers are still alive. After raising them, they would come and take their children, that’s how I touch people`s lives. We go about looking for children who are hopeless and bring them to the house with the consent of their parents.

Culled from: The Sun

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