Film Producers From Nigeria

"Never act on impulse, plan, first think it through, then act with a determination, not to be turned aside by thoughts of the past and fears of the future."

"You can’t tell if that man or woman loves you for who you are or because you are a celebrity. I will get married when God says it is my time. My time has yet to come and that is why I am still single. Anyone who rushes into marriage will definitely rush out, so I am taking my time."

"The increasing self-esteem and self-love also makes you feel more deserving of good things in life and so you will self-sabotage less and go after what you deep down want with more motivation and focus than ever before."

"I am not only an actress, I am also a producer. I have produced several movies in the past and I just finished work on two movies. I like to make good films and that is why I don’t come out with movies every now and then. I am a professional and I know what a good movie should look like. I have set a standard for myself and I don’t want to disappoint my fans."

"I do not care about fame. It has not changed who I am and it has not altered the way I relate with people be it my family, friends or fans. I am a very simple person and generally down-to-earth and forthright. To a large extent, I am an introvert and I like to spend a lot of time indoors. I rarely go out except it is very necessary."

"As I grow older, the need to train people increases people whom I can one day pass the baton. Let’s do this."

"There is a lot of stress in entertainment and that stress pushes people to alcoholism and drug abuse. It’s a lifestyle that is rampart not only in Nigeria but also around the world. Because they don’t really recognise that showbiz is showbiz, they get carried away with the glamour of it. And before you know it, you get older and they push you aside and forget about you."

"My ideal man will be a humanitarian. I am not really into if somebody is rich or poor. But he has to be kind hearted. The way he treats other people matters, it’s not whether he is handsome or not. What trips me in men is the heart. He must be a kind and generous man – not necessarily kind and generous to me, because that may be pretentious. I will watch the way he treats other people. If you are nice to other people, I know you have a good heart, and then I can get attracted to you."

"Life is full of challenges and I encountered so many obstacles when I started acting"

"I am interested in raising new talents and crew. Several of my movies star new actors in lead or supporting roles, and many of them have gone on to do very well in the industry. I believe in continuity, as such it’s important to me that I invest in people whom I can one day pass the baton."

"I think a lot of women feel that they cannot do it because it is a male-dominated space, but I think that you will need to go and prove yourself. I have that attitude right from time and anywhere I go, I stand out. I say to women, when you are getting it tough, please do not use your gender because from my experience, men do appreciate women that strive in their walks of life."

"In carrying out duties, gender should not play a role and I do say that to women as a form of encouragement because sometimes you find that women could be self-defeatist."

"My interest will involve encouraging Nigerian and foreign charity organisations to help raise funds for the needy, most especially, Nigerian showbiz stars who are dying of curable and manageable ailments due to lack of funds"

"Let me get something clear, helping people is not all about handing out alms to them but also creating opportunities for them to feed themselves and others while creating an environment where they could unlock their innate gifts and potentials and that is why I shall remain committed to the poor masses no matter what happens."

"I believe that if you want to succeed in anything that you do, it does not come easy. I embrace challenges very well and my mindset is that I do not want anything to stop me."

"The health insurance scheme has done perfectly well in the past six months. I am so proud to say that it’s working. The insurance scheme was designed to stop our entertainers from going cap in hand to beg for financial assistance whenever they are down with one ailment or the other, and in case of emergence, they can be treated in other words to stop all the sudden deaths in the entertainment industry."

"I am someone that long for happiness. Happiness means a lot to me and I am not interested in financial gains. It means absolutely nothing to me. We must work hard to survive and that is what we must do. One cannot buy happiness and I am grateful that I have that happiness today."

"I have always been passionate about the needy. If we all could reach out to the needy by contributing our own quota, then our country will be a better place."

"I am not a feminist. I believe that God created men and women to complement each other. Women need to be motivated. And that support is prime on my agenda. Women are the ones that give birth to the men in the first place so if we think that they are not giving us equal opportunities then, let us change the way we nurture them. In other words, it is time to work together as women. Hard work is what has gotten me to this stage in my life and women should emulate that."

"I joined the African Democratic Congress because of their ideology at a time when everything in me resisted politics. I couldn’t help but notice the political instability that was going on in Nigeria and in Edo State, hence my decision to join the ADC. For me, it was the only credible alternative."

"There is poverty in the entertainment industry and it’s time to say, ‘talent is not enough.’ We need to acquire skills to complement with whatever talent we have."

"I have no godfather; I do not believe in ‘godfatherism’. It must be said that ‘godfatherism’ is like ‘cultism’ and self enslavement for life. I will not wish that on my worst enemy."

"Growing up was a blissful because I had almost all that I wanted as a child. I wasn’t born with a ‘golden spoon’ but in an above average family. I have always been my mums little doll, having lost my dad at an early age. My mum did double of what both parents could do to raise a “Golden Child”. I was taught that nothing is impossible to achieve in life if I believe in myself, but trust in God, have passion for what I do and not to give up"

"Life has taught me that success is no accident, its hard work, perseverance, sacrifice and most of all, love for what you do or learning to do. Secondly, life has taught me to love myself and appreciate me for who I am. I have also learnt to stay away from negative/toxic people. Life has taught me to accept change and be thankful for everything that happens and to always trust in God’s word. Trusting God doesn’t mean he will do all you wants but rather believing he will do everything he knows is good."

"One thing people don’t know about me is that I am an extremely reserved person. I am a very shy and reserved person. I don’t get comfortable around people easily. I am a very shy person."

"Because you could still be a virgin and the end of the day still be a bad person. Being a virgin doesn’t make you better than the next person. That’s basically what I have to say because every person has different perspectives to life; different challenges to life. It all depends on where you’re coming from."

"When it comes to dressing, I wear things I am very comfortable in. For me it has to do with being comfortable. It doesn’t have to be necessarily trendy. Most times I wear what I am comfortable in, not necessarily about the trend. That’s my style and that is how I love to dress."

"I had always wanted to be an ambassador and a pilot. When I finally started flying, I didn’t want to be anything close to being a pilot."

"Acting puts you in the limelight and as such there will be a lot of distractions. One thing I have always said to myself is that I came into this industry for a reason and I have a target. I am a focused young lady. I am goal getter. I don’t listen to people who don’t understand what I am doing or where I am coming from. I have learnt to be myself, to be focused and not to listen to negative and unnecessary criticisms."

"I believe they chose me for my position believing I can deliver. I have always been the people’s woman. I care for the poor and the needy as they need a voice."

"Men will always want to approach you because they see your face on TV. So, because you see my face regularly on TV, you want to approach me? That aspect I didn’t like"

"I love a man who is God-fearing irrespective of what he does. I love a man who is honest and someone who looks good and smells nice. Most importantly, I love a man who loves his woman genuinely and supports her career. It is very sweet when you have someone who loves you and supports what you do, a man who comes all out for you and makes you feel like the only girl in the world."

"As soon as the abuse starts. When a man gives you a heavy slap and he says I am sorry, and then the next week he repeats it and says he is sorry , it is time to flee. If my man slaps me once I will take it as ‘okay, it could be his five minutes of madness’. Everybody is allowed that. But if it happens again, then it is probably in his DNA and it is all over. We all have our different situations and that is why I say to girls, use your brains and not your breasts. Go to school, be independent. Whether you are married or not, have your own thing going because a lot of women stay in abusive relationships because they have nowhere else to go. If they leave their husbands, children’s school fees will not be paid and there will be no food in the house and they can’t fend for themselves. So when you have 23-inch waist and 46 inch ‘yansh’ and there is one guy toasting you and he has all the money in the world, beware! That is not what it is all about. Because for every 23 inch waist, there is a 24 and when that man gets bored and if he is abusive, you are in big trouble. So go to school, be independent, your own woman. If you meet a good man, thank God, but if perchance you meet a monster, move on before you are killed."

"You mustn’t be scared of what people are going to say because it is not your fault. I got a lot of snide remarks when I revealed my experience; some people said I was looking for attention. Meanwhile, it is because of talks like that, that many victims don’t report rape incidents. I wish everybody has a strong family like mine because I had people I could lean on. Unfortunately, not everybody has that kind of support system. Nevertheless, they need to find strength within themselves; otherwise, rapists would keep getting away with the dastardly act without any repercussion"

"Broadcasting has given me confidence. It helped me with my theatre and acting. This is because when you are in broadcasting, you have to be very expressive with just your voice; nobody can see your face. So, it actually helped me with my voice patterns"

"Start with your mind. Your mind has to be in the right place. Like I said, there is no easy way to losing weight. Even if you decide that you want to go for surgery, it is not easy. So your mind has to be made up. Then your lifestyle is very important because some people spend all day sitting at a desk. Those that sit at the desk are not using up energy at all, so your lifestyle is important. And the time you eat at night is also important. You don’t have to eat late. You must eat your last meal around 7pm. I think you shouldn’t deprive yourself of anything"

"Why not? Do you jump into bed with just anybody. I am not saying I am celibate for religious reasons. You don’t just jump into bed with just anybody but if I meet a nice person, why not?"

"As far as character is concerned, honesty is important no matter how much you have, if you made your money dis-honestly I no fit follow you. For instance, if you are doing 419, it won’t happen. Honesty in your relationship is important. I always tell guys, maybe they think I am joking. Try and be open. If you have been messing around as a guy, tell me. If for instance you play away match and carry something, tell me; don’t hide it and don’t deprive me of sex because you know you have something because I will begin to worry you about myself. ‘Is it that this guy does not love me anymore?’ Just tell me ‘babe, I mess up-o, see wetin happen.’ I would say ‘oya come, make we go see doctor first, let us go and look at the case’ and after that we can talk about it because what I need from a man is a best friend. You have to be my best friend and in order for that to happen you have to be open and honest with me so we understand each other. So if for instance I am dating you now and someone sees you with a girl and then she comes to me and says ‘I saw Tony the other day with a chick, I would say ‘yes, she was wearing a short red mini skirt, high heels, her hair was dread locked, any problem?’ I don’t like people being involved in my relationship but please, don’t make me look stupid so tell me first so I go know how to arrange myself when those wicked people that want to spoil the matter come around. Generosity is very important."

"There are times that we need to up our games as actors, producers and other professions in the film making industry; we need to be professional and do things right. The fault in our movies did not just happen because we lack money, they also come with the way we handle things as professionals, though, money is also a big factor.There are other things that are attached to film making which we need to look at to move the industry forward"

"There is no easy way to losing weight. Do things the right way. Eat less and exercise more and discipline yourself. Of course, I had sugar cravings even up till now and that is the problem with weight loss. It is not losing the weight that is the challenge, but keeping it at bay. Exercise is a big part of it, because even if you eat a normal portion of food and you are not doing your exercise, you might just remain there."

"I am not worried any longer as long as I know what I am capable of doing."

"But people who don’t do much will say they are busy. I wonder what they do."

"The important message is that people should not think that having a wealthy father makes one’s career easy. It is not easy for anybody. One has to be talented and hard-working. I know that one day people would start seeing that this is what I’m good at"

"My mother died when I was yet to start life. Mothers are the only persons who fight for their children."

"I believe that this (acting) is what God ordained me to do and that is why I am still relevant. I am very sure that if I had towed a different career path I would have been forgotten by now"

"Children are not asked to be born so when you have them, you must take care of them."

"However, never say never because ultimately my destiny might not be in marriage NOW, but maybe when I’m 75yrs old. You never can tell"

"You don't have to leave before you are forgotten."

"Life is perspective, 2 pieces."

"But we don’t wake up in the morning and see a bag of money waiting for us outside. I have been working since I was 17."