Stephanie Okereke Talks About Marriage And More

Nollywood actress and soon to be mum Stephani Okereke Linus, who was recently invited to Buckingham palace by the Queen to receive the Queen’s Young Leaders Award, 2015, talks about her career, marriage and lots more in this interview with punch.

Do you miss being a regular face in Nollywood movies?

It is not about missing the Nigerian movie industry because I get projects all the time –it’s if I want to be involved in them. I am not missing it; in a way we are trying to build the industry. At the level we are, we are looking for how we can build Nollywood to the level that everyone will be completely proud of the industry. That is the stage I am right now. Therefore, it is not about doing or acting in many movies. Movies that I need to do have to be important and strategic –the movies have to be of top-notch quality. I am still a regular face in Nollywood because I am still needed in the industry. People still approach me for various jobs. It all depends on if I want to do the jobs all the time.

Why did you make marriage the theme of your reality show?

My focus is on doing something that can move the society forward. In doing this particular project, we want to make marriages strong. These days, I get a lot of young people who say they are scared of falling in love and don’t want to get married. There are a lot of things going on in the society and I wanted a manner I could present these issues in a fun-loving way that would send the right message to couples that in life no matter how hard we work, we are working for our families. But again, we have to create time for our loved ones. We need people to remember that the first reason they got married is for companionship –to have someone who can hold your back while you are still struggling. There are times we all go through certain things in life and our families are usually the people we fall back on. Hence, it’s good to keep the family unit going.

 Did you have your marriage in mind while planning this show?

I had all kinds of marriages in mind.

What do you do to keep romance in your marriage alive as you preach through the reality TV show?

If I haven’t been practising it I wouldn’t be preaching it. I think my husband and I are good. We know where the foundation of our marriage is and we value each other. We also respect and truly love each other. He’s my friend and a great pal at that. We got it right from the very first time by agreeing to be married. He’s the right person for me and I am the right person for him. We are on a journey and I think we’re trying. We strive for perfection. Marriage is about making sure you and the other person have the right chemistry before going into a marriage.

What lessons have marriage taught you?

Marriage is a long journey; therefore, the lessons are continuous. The fact is that we are communal as a people and we love to have companions. Knowing that you have someone who is your friend and you wake up every morning to do things together is a wonderful feeling. It teaches one to be where one has to compromise and recognise the fact that there are two different individuals coming together to form a marriage. You have to be sensitive to each other’s feelings and aspirations. There must be mutual respect between the couple. Marriage has taught me that being a loving wife produces a happy husband and vice versa.

During times you are on locations or doing some projects that take you away from home, do you miss your husband?

We always travel together.

You are helping women and girls overcome Vesico-vaginal fistula. What impact have you been able to make?

We have many wonderful laws in our country but they are not being enforced –those are the major challenges. We also need to improve our health care system especially maternal health care because a lot of women still die during childbirth. VVF is a huge health challenge in Nigeria; people used to think that it’s something that happens only in the North. It can happen to anybody living anywhere in the country. We have been helping a lot of girls and women suffering from VVF with surgeries. That’s why I did the movie to create awareness and let people understand the effect of their female children engaging in early marriage.

 

Source: The Punch