"I don't buy the idea of early marriage because I had to push myself to understand the little English I'm speaking with you. If I hadn't pushed myself, I wouldn't have understood any English. I really desire our daughters in the North to be well educated. I have only two daughters and I want them to have quality education."

"...I tackle issues that some people and writers are afraid to talk about. Before, some old people like my mother's age mates think that their husbands are second to their God but I let them know that their husband is their mate, friend and whatever. Before, it was not like that and because that belief is still dominant in the northern states, whenever you touch that area, men don't like it."

"We are Muslims and we have rules in Islam for marriage and so on. But sometimes, our culture dominates the religious dictates and culture and religion are different. So, I fight because I want to stress that culture and religion are different. Probably that is why I'm called a controversial writer."

"I am not disputing the fact that some writers have crossed boundaries in their writings. Yes, some have gone the extra mile to be explicit. That is very, very wrong. I hope they will stop one day. But why are people only worried about Hausa novels? What about the English and other literature in which many things that shouldn’t be told are written bare! I advise parental control over reading."

"There have been more than 70 studies done on my books at various levels of education-NCE, Bachelors, Masters, Diploma etc. Many of these students are fascinated that Hausa writers have such great ideas... This is great that we contribute in positive ways to our society’s attitudinal change and by extension national development. Writers are diamonds. We crystalize societies."

"Honestly, you don’t have to stop because you can balance both but not with the same speed. So you can be a mum, wife and work as well, though it is not easy but it is important to do it."

"Focus more on yourself, on improving yourself, of being a good person yourself. Focus on you liking yourself, do you like who you are? Be the best you can be and do not wish to be like anyone else.”"

"Although it has been tough raising them, I have been able to handle it, sometimes with the help of my siblings when I’m not available to be with them."

"I don’t like talking about my personal life. My age is not known to the public and I am not revealing it because I see no reason to."

"For every mountain, you brought me over…For every trial, you’ve seen me through…For every blessing…Hallelujah."

"Yes, it is my choice, let me clarify that I don’t do that in the real sense of it but I get around it. My focus is always like, what am I telling the people and viewers watching.""

"Luckily for me, I knew him before I got into the movie industry, so there was some sort of understanding and support from him, so it was very easy and he was always encouraging me."

""I feel as if I’m punishing myself. I am being restricted because I have to stay a Christian but this is what I enjoy doing”"

"I miss everything about her. My mum was my best friend."

"Hello, ‘wetin you take old pass me?’ I think it’s because I started off just after I left secondary school, thank God my parents let me do it. Because you see actors everyday on screen, the more you see them, the older they become, and it gets worse for us that get married."

"From the get go, it was a beautiful script, so I didn’t object to anything. First we had the first draft which we did a reading for. You know when you read a story; it’s one writer, maximum two or three writers."

"I was awesome. It was difficult at first; I like being truthful. At the initial stage, it was difficult because even though it was still from the entertainment industry, we were coming from two backgrounds as it were, the music and the acting. They are used to things being snappy"

"Three rooms in a house – one in which a man believes he is king; two in which he realizes a woman is god!"

"You have to be patient and tolerant."

"The bag of knowledge I gathered from my early days in the industry brought me back on track. It’s not been easy."

"I just don’t want to be too careful when I’m dressing. It takes away from the carriage."

"I have done my part. It is time for God to do His."

"As a grown-up little child, I always had the flare for the arts. I just wanted to sing in front of people, dramatize and make people happy and laugh. For me, it was an escape as a little child because I was quite a very shy one"

""Managing and maintaining an almost scandal-free reputation has been the grace of God because we all are not created perfect and as such we just manage to be our self and be of the best behavior. I just feel being an actor opens you up to controversies, scandals, and all that. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.”"

"The greatest lesson I learnt about marriage is to be patient, you don't talk all the time. You've got to do more of listening than talking."

"You should be sure of who you are and who your partner is. That is the first thing and be sure that the love is enough to pull you through."

"Now is not the time to stay silent and the youths must overcome."

"Relevance itself is wealth, it's a quality and a value. Time buys you relevance, time buys you greatness, time buys you money. So you must stay in the vision and with time, you would reap the benefits."

"You're bound to meet a lot of stumbling blocks, and youâ€™re bound to fail at certain things, but the number of times you fail is not the issue, it is the number of times you pick yourself up, dust yourself and continue your journey."

"Even though your family and friends discourage you, and you know where you're going, keep your focus and surround yourself with positive minds."

"There is no laziness in any business, that wants to succeed."

"The resources we have as a Nation is not what is critical, what is critical is the development of the human mind. The creative mind is the most important resource tool in any nation."

"So in directing over the past 10 years, I understand how to make a connection with people. This is because what’s often lacking in a lot of productions is the ability to connect. So, once the emotions are not there and people can’t feel what you are saying, you have lost the audience."

"I am a student of literature and history. I believe that art is a powerful tool for us in our society to use, to depict all the things that are going on, and a possible escape for some of us who are traumatized by the things we see in Nigeria."

"And a lot of men are turning this spiritual institution into commerce and they are using it for personal gains."

"I'm a woman of faith, but what I found in Nigeria is that a lot of people have increasingly been driven into this crazy love for worshipping men instead of God."

"“Finding my passion has really helped me, I go to work not thinking I am working”."

"“I followed my passion”."

"“Money is not an end, Value is the end. Focus on adding value to the society and money will follow”."

"Working with her was a masterclass, not just as an actress, but also on how to conduct yourself as a creative."

"You can’t force talent or do something simply because someone else is doing it."

"Nothing good comes easy."

"Funke is like a mother, she has that mother figure in her. She cares a lot about people around her."

""You are golden, intelligent, worthy, powerful, strong, beautiful, and you never doubt it. You must stand tall, take up space. Never shrink. Never apologize for your greatness," she declared."

"This week – and always – walk as if you know who you are"

"As the highest-grossing filmmaker in Nigeria and a reputable actress, I’m proof that hard work and determination can take you far"

"It’s not having the skill to do something. It’s about having the will, desire and commitment to be your best."

"I want to encourage you to work hard, believe in yourself and never rely on others for validation."

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. Originality is key."