Stephanie Okereke Linus: “I Will Get Pregnant When God Decides”
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.
