Ngozi Nwosu’s name is not strange in the entertainment world. An exceptional actress, she has featured in many television and movie series. From the famous Fuji House of Commotion to Living in Bondage, Skinny Girl in Transit and now a star in the popular Airtel commercial, this goddess has ruled the screen for over three decades. In this interview with YEMISI OLUSINA, the amazing woman speaks about her journey so far.
Where did you grow up and what was the experience like?
Growing up was fun, I was born in Port-Harcourt, but I grew up in Lagos and it was fun. You can imagine the experience of a child who grew up in Lagos. When it was time for me to play, I played all the way. As a Lagos girl (laughs) and as someone who went to school in Mushin, I played all the rough plays but at the end of the day, here I am, all the glory be to God. Believe me, it was all fun.
What were your parents like?
Oh well, my mum, she was the one that actually brought us up, because we lost our father at a very tender age. I don’t even know my father physically, it was through pictures. Growing up with my mother was nice, it was fun. My mother is a disciplinarian, she is a no-nonsense person.
There was this time that I used to spend the money given to me as my transport fare anyhow. I would just branch at one lady that was selling coconut rice and pork, eat and finish the money. We would trek to school and get there late. Our teachers would flog us and when it was time to go home, we would start crying that we lost our transport fare.
At times, we would see some good Samaritans, who would help us with money, at other times, we wouldn’t. But, oh! Within us, we knew what we had done. You know things like that could be fun.
There is a place in Mushin that they call ‘Oju olomo o to’. That place was so-called to allow two people who dared each other for a fight to please each other. If they could kill each other, so be it. I had fought there before and got my school uniform torn. My punishment was to wear that uniform for a term.
At another point, I became the food prefect of my school. The food vendors would bribe me to approve their food. Those times, I wouldn’t bother to eat at home because I just eat from one food vendor to the other. I just keep my pocket money. All the food vendors were at my mercy, I would taste and taste until I got filled. So, you can see that I had so much fun as a child that sometimes I wish to be a kid growing all over again.
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Were you the first child?
No, but I was a bit stubborn. I was quiet but don’t look for my trouble, if you did, I wouldn’t let you go.
Was acting the career you had always wanted to do?
It is related. I have always dreamt of wanting to become a newscaster. Then, I used to watch and admire Oprah Winfrey, Ruth Benamaisia, Mike Omerua, Julie Coker, but I never knew it would end the way it is now.
You’ve been acting for over three decades. Can you give us roughly how many films you have acted in?
Honestly, I cannot, I have lost count.
Which of them brought you into limelight?
I came into limelight with Ripples, a television series where I was madam V-boot. When I acted in Living in Bondage, the name changed to Egome.
Can you describe the character of Peaceful Peace?
Sometimes, people mis-interpret peaceful Peace. Peaceful Peace was someone who did not like cheating. She knew her onions, what she wanted and the way to her man’s heart. Although she is the second wife, she is a no – nonsense person. In as much as she loved her husband, he got it hot whenever he did not do what was right for the family.
She was not a troublesome woman, she’s only that when the occasion arose. She quarreled with Mama Moji whenever she did something shady with her children. She always had her way with her husband because she knew the way to his heart.
She knew how to calm him down when he was angry unlike other wives. She knew he loved good food. She was always having problem with Ireti because the children did not like the food Ireti cooked.
What do you blame the increased broken homes in the country on?
For me, one, I think we are having a problem of trust. Most couples, today, don’t trust themselves. Secondly, I will say women of nowadays are also not patient enough with their husbands. They are always like whatever you do for me, I will dish it back to you unlike in the days of our mothers.
Most marriages these days also lack planning. Many of the couples again don’t understand each other. They are in marriages for different wrong reasons and when it is not what you want, it is difficult for you to have the patience to wait or the endurance to turn things around.
Lastly, money has contributed a lot these days to broken homes in Nigeria. Today’s husbands and wives are hustlers, who hardly have time to cater for their homes. But then, men ought to go the extra mile to understand women and render the right assistance. They should assist women at home so as not to make them feel like house girls.
What is your advice in this regard?
Couples should be ready to accept each other the way they are. They should learn to tolerate, accommodate and make amends. Women need a lot of endurance to be able to keep their homes.
What’s your take on gender equality?
The campaign is all over the world but although women have certain rights over men, I don’t think it is a thing of reality in Nigeria.
Have you given up on marriage?
Why will I give up on marriage for crying out loud? Tina Turner married at 73, yes, she got married again. If I find the man that makes me happy, I will marry again. It’s my choice, you either choose to be happy for the rest of your life or you choose to be miserable. So, why won’t I? Definitely, I am still in the market hot and smoky.
What happened to your marriage?
I don’t like talking about it. It didn’t just work out. If I had known what I know about life now, I would not have broken up with him. I would have given him a second chance. But what he did was very upsetting, it was unheard of.
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What will you say to the issue of domestic violence?
I advise couples to desist or avoid violence as much as possible in their marriages because you don’t know where you would touch and the person will die.
Let’s talk about the Airtel advert. How has it impacted on your career?
It has brought me more trouble than good because before Airtel, my name has been all over the place. With the Airtel commercial, however, most people now see me as an Airtel Ambassador which I am not. They keep asking me all kinds of questions about Airtel which I have no answer to. Most people don’t know that it was just a commercial, I am not a not an Ambassador of Airtel.
What do you have to say about inter-tribal marriage?
Why not? My philosophy of life is that wherever love takes you, go there. Who says when you marry your own native person that he will not kill you? That’s the truth. You can marry someone with whom you share the same language, culture and even the same town and the person will be the one to kill you.
So, for me, all these things don’t matter. I think parents should just bless the choices of their children without minding all this stuff. I encourage parents to still do their researches on the spouses of their children just like it used to be in the past. They should go to the spouse’s family, check whether he/she is from a good background to guide against any evil occurrence in the future.
There should be no distance that is too far to cover. I heard a story of a Ghanaian girl that wanted to marry a Cotonou guy. They have done the introduction before her father came to make findings about the family. They called off the marriage because he found out something bad.
But many parents have turned to ‘iya oko bornvita’ these days, the more gifts you bring the more favour you receive.
What is the most embarrassing thing a fan did to you?
A fan gave me a slap from behind. To me, I felt it was someone close to me but when I turned and saw him, it was someone who did what he did because he was a fan. I was like aaahhh, I just walked away.
If you weren’t an actress, what else will you have been?
Of course, I would have been a newscaster.
Are you fulfilled as an actress?
Yes I am. I love my job.
Is there any of your kids that is taking after you?
Yes, there is one and I am giving my full support.
What are some of the challenges you face on the job?
Well, challenges come and go. My belief is, whatever you are doing in life that involves no challenge, cannot bring any fulfilment. Challenges are part of life. Even as a mother, you face challenges. It is the ability to surmount these challenges that everyone needs. We should all see challenges as luck. We face challenges but by the grace of God, we overcome them. Challenges are good.
At the initial stage when you ventured into this career, what was your mother’s attitude?
Actually, my mother didn’t know I went into acting, because the woman was quietly doing her thing, until she suddenly discovered that I was already into acting. She was like, come girl, what is it that you are doing that everybody is seeing me on the street and they were calling me Mama this, Mama that and they are hugging me up and down? I just told her I am not doing anything o, it is the work that I am doing now. She just said, ‘Okay, it is a good one’.
What’s your happiest moment?
My happiest moment is when I wake up and see the brand new day. I make every moment happy in my life but, of course, when you annoy me, it’s a bad day but I don’t carry it in my mind. I’m always a happy person.
Saddest moment?
When I was ill, I was so happy but when a journalist wrote something bad about me, I was unhappy. It killed my spirit instantly. I have never been down like that.
What advice do you have for the up-coming actresses?
Slow and steady wins the race. They should not run to lick the hot soup because, it will burn them eventually.
What’s your favorite food?
Fried rice and chicken
What word do you have for Nigerian leaders?
I implore our leaders not to promise what they cannot do. They should not say, because it’s election period, they will promise heaven and earth when they know they can’t achieve it. They should stay within their limits, promise people what they can sincerely accomplish during their tenor. They should also stop using the youth to cause trouble to bring harm to the people. In all that I wish everyone a happy election.