MANY of your fellow dark-skin female fans are
sure glad of your successful career as someone
who isn’t light-skin, coming from a country that
is thought to have the world’s highest
percentage of women using skin-lightening
agents. What’s your take on this?



People need to definitely erase the mindset that
any other colour is better than your colour. I think
it’s a complex. I am dark-skinned, I know who I
am inside, forget the skin. I think darker-skinned
women should really focus on the inner beauty
and not allow somebody else’s complex or
insecurities to overshadow their confidence.


Why are you still single?



If I get married, I really want to stay married and
staying married is not an easy thing. It means
you are completely in tune with your partner.
It means you have found your soulmate because
you will have to be able to stand a lot of
disappointments that would definitely come but
then again you have to learn to forgive.



Tell me about your first love?


He was a very, very, handsome man. A long time
ago, very handsome man, trust me.



Let’s talk about relationships – are you currently
in one? Are you looking at settling down at some
point? I know you’ve heard that question a lot of
times but tell us the truth now.


*takes a deep breath* I think everyone is
prioritizing and so am I. It’s not like I don’t want
to settle down or want somebody and until I find
that person, there’s no thoughts of me settling
down. I’m not looking, I’m a woman, we are not
allowed to look.



When was the last time you had a boyfriend… do
you have one now?



I don’t have a boyfriend now.




Ok, so what are you looking for in a man? Your
ideal guy, what are you looking for in a man?


I am that person that eats with her eyes, like I
need to be attracted to you. Definitely. There has
to be physical attraction that will draw me to you
but at the end of the day, it’s your mind I’m
going to fall in love with. I’m probably looking for
a friend, someone who shares a like mind and
somebody who is confident. Aww, I love tall
guys. I’m short you have to think of the kids.



Don’t you think a lot of guys are scared of you
now? They will say she is good looking,
successful, she’s got her own career, let me
leave her alone, I can’t handle that kind of wife I
can’t tell her what to do


Then he is a baby, a boy. I’m not looking for a
boy. Men don’t let artificial things like that
intimidate them.



So can you marry a guy you are richer than?


How much money do I have? I’m not even that
rich. I pay tax, I pay rents, I run an office, I have
staff. So, talk about the money I spend, not the
money I make.


What’s your view on the national issues with
Nigeria as individuals and as a nation?



Everything, every aspect of human nature is in
every Nigerian. The good, the bad, the ugly,
it’s just like another New York. You know, Nigeria
is fun to be honest. But we’re not the worst
people. All we have people talking about when it
comes to Nigeria is crime and fraud, and that’s
just a very, very, minute number of people.
Nigerians as a whole are very confident people, I
believe we’re confident, I believe we’re very
resourceful and we are very hospitable when it
comes to visitors in the country.



When you look at the country, what are some of
the things you love about it, what are some of
the things that you would like to change?


I like that as Nigerians, we have some sort of
neighbourly love that we don’t understand, we
have a way of coming to the rescue of complete
strangers, we do have that bond and I think it
has to do with our background and how we are
raised and how Nigerians in a whole have been
made to be morally. It’s like you have a moral
duty to your society, to yourself, to your family
so it’s like everybody’s business is everybody’s
business. It’s a bad thing sometimes, but it does
have its good sides. You know, so that is
something that we are. We probably don’t know
as a people and if we don’t know we should
know it now, it’s a good thing. What I don’t like
about Nigeria…man, I never diss my own country,
man! You know, what ever negativity is in a
country it is in every other country; it’s in every
other part of the world. So, the thing is everyone
needs to be treated as individuals and not a
collective nation. You don’t judge one person or
judge one person by another persons faults. So, I
just take every Nigerian the way I see them. I
would never live anywhere else to be honest, no.




Really?


No, I grew up in Lagos, I was born, bred there. I
don’t see myself leaving that town anytime soon.
I can work anywhere else, but in terms of living,
I’m used to Lagos, I’m sorry!


How do you see the Nollywood film industry as a
key player?


We’ve been churning out films for years now and
we’ve managed to break into the homes of
millions of people around the world. There are a
lot of success stories that have come out of the
Nollywood film industry.



Will your 19-year-old daughter Chimebuka, who
is the same age as you when you found fame,
toll your lane or adventure into other forms of
entertainment?



No. I think we have enough entertainers in our
family quite frankly. (Laughs)




You are one of those in Nollywood that started
as a kid star. What was it like?


When I did my first television appearance, I was
eight, we were pretty much just playing around.



Tell us how that happened?



I was a child model and there was an opportunity
for any child actors to come in and perform and
the best way they could do that was to go into
an agency and that’s how I got involved at an
early age. I went back to school, so it wasn’t like
a continuous process. Coming back into it, I was
19 and it was something that I wanted to do by
that time. I didn’t know it would take me this far
though, but I’m grateful, I can’t complain. So far,
so good.




So you possibly didn’t take acting seriously at
the beginning or you fell in love with it when the
fame came?



For a long time I kept thinking, OK, this is just
temporary, definitely I’m going to go back to
school and read law, English or something. But
after film number 15, I realized acting was my
calling?




We know you recently launched your new line, St
Genevieve, described as “the epitome of
elegance, created for women with sophistication
at its core”. You seem to have conquered many
milestones in film, is that why the award-
winning Genevieve is moving into fashion?



St Genevieve] is me basically trying to ease
myself slowly and softly into the market. By
recreating my personal style into my fashion
label, I am creating this collection that brings to
life strong and sexy pieces for every woman to
look good. I’m definitely going to do a men’s line
in the future and go crazy with the styles.



St. Genevieve collections are exclusively
distributed through Jumia. Why Jumia?



They’re the biggest retail store we have in Africa,
so having them as partner is amazing, I couldn’t
ask for more. Our partnership gives us the
opportunity to reach other countries in Africa so
it’s a good platform to distribute.




any plan or aim towards taking your designs and
ensure it is worn all over the world?



We have Nigerians and Africans all over the
world, there are thousands of them in the UK. It
would be a great thing to be able to see my line
stocked in retail stores around in the UK. We’re
working on that as we speak. We’ll try and target
major stores to ensure we reach everyone who
identifies with me and my style.




With over 1.4 million fans on social media, your
transition from film to fashion looks set to be as
seamless as the most coveted dress from your
line, but do you consider yourself a role model?




I don’t put pressure on myself by considering
myself a role model. I don’t think that’s what I
set out to be when I wanted to act, but along the
way, I guess that’s what I have become. For me,
I feel whatever I am doing; I will always be true
to myself.

Its a lie

ok!

bla bla blaaa.. bìtch better have my money!