Veteran Nollywood actress, Stephanie Okereke
(MFR) has been married for almost 2 years
now and yet to take-in.
I don’t really know if Stephanie is taking her
time with child birth but in an interview with
Nigerian Tribune‘s TADE MAKINDE, the
beautiful Nollywood actress discusses her
marriage, married life, child birth and her
upcoming movie, Dry.
How has life been as a wife?
Beautiful. Life has been beautiful, good and
fun
Fun how?
Fun because you are happy with someone you
really love and looking forward to share the
rest of your life with. It makes it interesting
because it’s a long journey.
You took your time before you eventually got
married. There must have been some
pressures while single from many. How did
you handle it?
In the Nigerian context, there can be
pressures maybe when you get to a certain
age or stage, you know what is knocking on
your door. I was talking to someone recently
and she was like no one is coming, but it is
not a race. When you understand marriage is
not a race and that when your time comes, it
is your time. Some people can marry early
and live 10 years of misery and pain and then
you just get married in one year and you are
having so much bliss in your life and that
person that had married for a long time is
even wishing that she could just have this
moment with this man that I am staying with.
One of the biggest trap that the enemy has is
to pressurise you and put you in a corner so
you can make a wrong decision, especially in
marriage. That is the biggest thing and when
you make that wrong decision, then you are
in for it. It is so good that you take your
time and ask God for the actual direction.
You know He gives you the endurance,
patience and everything to stay in that
marriage.
In your case did you experience that kind of
pressure?
Not really. I could have been married a long
time if I wanted, but I had a vision for what I
want for my life. Even for man. It is good for
man to mentally decide that he wants to get
married. It is also good for us, women, to be
mentally committed when we are ready for it.
I am going into this not because of the way
the society has formed it to be, that one is
ripe for marriage within the age of 23-27,
but it is good for one to mentally decide that
she wants to be in a marriage so that it won’t
be a burden when you enter into it. You are
entering with your eyes wide open and
whatever comes out of it you must have
made up your mind and be prepared that this
is what you want.
When you met your husband, how did you
know he was Mr. Right?
(Laugh…) I think it started when I came back.
My head was all over the place and I wasn’t
in the mood for any kind of relationship. It
eventually got to a point that I told God I was
ready. It was like a journey for me at one
time and I did not want to be in that space. I
told God that I wanted to be in a serious
relationship now. It was like a conversation
between God and I. He said okay, are you
ready, and I replied Him in the affirmative.
It’s funny. It wasn’t like I was looking for a
husband but I was ready to be in a serious
relationship and have a courtship. That was
why I said you have to be in a mental state
because it is not good for you to end up
dating the wrong person. I met him. Initially
we didn’t have the mindset to date. It started
with a business arrangement. He said he had
an idea that could help my career. Of course
he got my attention and we started seeing. I
think it was the third, fourth meeting we
started adjusting. He asked me out on my
birthday and we dated for a year
When did you make up your mind to accept
him?
It was in the course of the journey that I
started realising he was all I wanted in a man
and I knew in my spirit. You just know these
things and it just happened. He must have
known earlier that I dug him, but he was just
waiting for a special moment to make it
happen where I will always remember. Maybe
that was why he decided to tell me on my
birthday.
Do you think women should get worked up
on the issue of marriage?
It is not at all costs. People have different
reasons for getting married, but at the long
run you need to really check what the major
reason of getting married is.
Why did you take your wedding abroad?
Imagine my wedding taking place in Nigeria?
It would be a carnival and I didn’t want a
carnival for my wedding. He didn’t want that
too. We are very alike and we wanted
something really special. It was not that we
couldn’t do it here, but we had travelled wide
a lot during the course of our relationship
and we really wanted something special for
ourselves and our families. We weren’t
thinking about the people, it was about us
trying to make that moment special. It wasn’t
what we decided, we also asked God. It was
not like we chose where to get married. It
was something spiritual for us to do and God
also confirmed to us that we should go there
and get married.
How did you receive the confirmation?
During the wedding arrangement in Nigeria,
we were thinking on where to do it, either in
Nigeria or elsewhere. So we were thinking of
Paris, but we wanted to be sure and we
needed a confirmation on where to go. It was
like you wanted something and you also
needed a confirmation because it is going to
take a lot. All the people that went came back
safely. My husband and I met with the
chairman of an airline. He donated a plane to
move all our guests. What better
confirmation do you need than that?
Your wedding took place abroad. Are you
guys also planning to raise your kids in
Nigeria or abroad?
The world is becoming global; it’s going to be
both Nigeria and abroad.
Have you guys decided on the numbers of
kids to have?
Am I supposed to tell you that?
Just asking…
Okay. As many as possible.
When will you start because I expect you to
have been pregnant by now?
Are you God that is going to decide on that?
This kind of thing, you don’t decide it
yourself.
Since you got married, you have not featured
in movies?
I have appeared in lots of them. It depends
on how many you have watched yourself. I
am working on the ones I produced myself.
Its entitled ‘Dry’. It has to do with the
challenges women go through during child
birth. That will be my first project since I’ve
been married. The first phase was shot in
Nigeria while I am taking the second phase
abroad.
Why abroad?
It was because of how the story was written.
The selected locations in Nigeria…
Ogoja in Cross River State and Abakaliki. Also
in Abuja and a little in Sokoto.
How long have you been working on it?
Since I was in the university. I started it
when I was in my second year.
That would be when?
About 12,15 years ago. It’s been a burden to
me that I needed to do this project. Every
time I tried to turn away from it, I found
myself coming back to it, so I needed to get
it over with.
The federal government’s support for the
entertainment industry started with a N200
million largesse, but there had been lots of
complaints on it. Suddenly, another N3
billion has come. Do you think it’s okay to be
doling out money like that or to address
infrastructural problems?
The money is good. I commend this
government because it is the first to show
interest in the Nigerian entertainment
industry. It is actually the first government
to give money to the industry. It is good
because we need it, but what we need most
is not even infrastructure, it is the policies
that will help the structures stand.
The issue of copyright and other policies
surrounding piracy and distributions are
there to be addressed. If we get this, the
industry will drive itself because we have
been driving ourselves with this massive
piracy. We need to put data in place. You
know it’s like an open market and there is no
control. It has got to the stage where your
works are being pirated to your face and
there is nothing you can do about it. There
are no laws there to protect our works. Those
who want to invest are not coming because
they are not sure of getting returns on their
stake. Though the copyright commission has
been making some arrests, it should be on a
larger scale. We should set out laws that will
put an end to all these.
Before acting, what career did you pursue?
Taqwando and high jump, but I stopped
because the bar always hit my legs. I did that
when I was in school.
The tenure of Ibinabo Fiberesima will end
sometime. Would you consider leading your
own generation?
(Laughs…) She is doing a good job. She can
rerun.
You don’t like to lead people?
I do lead people every day. It’s not like I
can’t lead people in the open or public, that I
am not scared of, but it depends. Even as it
may, leading AGM is not on my radar for
now. I have different things and projects that
I am working on right now. Don’t forget we
are supporting Ibinabo to come out with
good things.
How do you manage to look cute?
At a point after my marriage, I discovered
that I had added weight, but I had to shake it
up. I engaged in some exercises, watched
what I ate and also cut down on so many
things. I also cook. I like cooking.
Do you consider having a food outlet?
I don’t know about that. I just love cooking
because I love to try new things and my
cooking is fun. It is like inventing things. You
come out with your recipe and people’s
recipe and adjust to the things that work for
you.
What project are you working on?
We are trying to bring maternal issues to
fore. We had have cases of lots of women in
Nigeria that died during child birth. It is even
higher than people who die of HIV or on our
roads every day. Unlike women when
pregnant, it is a 50/50 chance. Being
someone who has been advocating that our
health care system needs to be better
because when you fall sick in Nigeria, it is
always between you and God. I have been
there when I broke my leg and it was just the
mercy of God because there are certain
things that happened that can just make you
go crazy in the hospital. It is to encourage
people. There are certain things I am
passionate about though, it’s just that I am
taking it one step at a time.
What’s the budget for the movie?
Don’t worry about that. I am not giving you
the budget for now until when I finish the
job. It has a lot of cost. My next plan is to
complete the shooting abroad and I am
working towards its premiere at the end of
this year and I am going to do the premiere
almost everywhere. I am working on a new
strategy for everything, including the
distribution.
Are you not scared that this work might be
pirated?
Everybody is pretty having a nightmare, but
that has not stopped us from bringing out
contents; that is why we are pressurising that
certain policies are being declared before the
end of the year to help protect our works and
that is what we are advocating for those
policies to happen. But the producers have
been working out plans. The government
needs to come in with these policies and with
enough machinery and enforcement to make
these things to happen.
What was your growing up like?
My parents were a little bit flexible. It was
not that they were not comfortable with my
being an actress. Because I have always been
bigger than my age, my father always said I
was growing like a tolo tolo (Turkey). He said
I should ensure my brain grew with me. To
them, you just had to know the reason you
wanted to do anything. Like me, coming into
this industry, I keep asking myself and asking
God every day the purpose I am in this
industry because life is all about growth.
Over time, people will say you have
impacted, but it has to be more than that.
You have to also find a way of reaching to the
people and affect their lives. We are eight in
number. I am the sixth and the third girl. I
am not the only one in the showbiz. I don’t
know what happened to my elder brother, he
was supposed to be a big time producer in
Nollywood, but it seems he is more
interested in show promotions and other
things. Also, my younger sister, who is an up-
and-coming gospel singer, also has another
sister who is also into presenting and online
stuff. We are all virtually more or less into
showbiz.
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