If there is one thing I admire about Omoni Oboli, it is her dedication to her work, her pursuit of excellence and her expertise in delivery of scripts. The ageless mother of three adorable boys and a blessed husband has been into movie making and acting for many years. Her acting skills were top notch in the movie Fifty and two of her recent movies namely The First lady and Wives on Strike.
In 2010 she won the award for Best Actress – Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Movie Awards, and the award for Best Actress at the Harlem International Film Festival. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards. In 2014, Omoni won Big Screen Actress of the Year award, at the 2014 ELOY Awards, for her movie Being Mrs Elliot.
A descent of Mosogar in Delta State, Oboli studied Foreign Languages at the University of Benin majoring in French. In 1996, while still at the university, she shot her first films. She then took a 10 year break, got married, and returned to the screen in 2009 with the movie Entanglement. 2010 saw Oboli feature in the award-winning film The Figurine, which won the Best Picture award at the 2010 Africa Movie Academy Awards.
A lover of movie making and acting, Omoni says “Acting has always been my passion, and thanks to the veteran pioneers who made Nollywood possible, I saw the opportunity to make it a career as well and I must confess, I am fulfilling purpose, every struggle and challenge has been worth it and I give all glory to God for how far I have come and where He is taking me to.” Says Omoni.
Omoni’s passion for Nollywood knows no bounds. According to her, “I am glad to be part of Nollywood and I celebrate our advancement. We are not perfect, we are not ‘there’ yet but we have greatly improved, so much that our films are viewed globally. If we relented on or craft, we would not be third in the world but guess what? We are number three after Hollywood and Bollywood so who says something good cannot come out of Nigeria?”
“We must try and always see the positive side of things and in this case, Nollywood. I am excited about upcoming acts who are proving their onions, I am thrilled about veterans who have remained excellent in their delivery, I am glad about various collaborations at local and international levels and I’m happy it is an industry that has contributed in building hope for the future generation.” Giving her advice to up and coming actors, she says “you must not be discouraged neither should you be so desperate that you do whatever is inhumane so you can get a role. Keep at your craft and one day, you will be recognised. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Yes, there will be times you feel so discouraged and I understand but it isn’t time to quit because winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win. One day, it will no longer be a dream because you will be enjoying the reality of your persistence.”
Omoni’s commitment to her husband and children despite her busy schedule is worthy of commendation and reference. She has been married for 15 years and whenever you are opportuned to see both of them together at any event; you will think they just got married days ago. I have heard her husband speak at the Awesome Treasure Foundation event and the comments he made about his wife got everyone applauding in awe of them. Hear what she has to say about the ‘apple of her eyes’, Nnamdi Oboli “I love the way he loves me, and he made loving him so simple, I feel comfortable around him and I know I am spending the rest of my life with him. God gave me a gift and a treasure for eternity, his name is Nnamdi”…did I hear you say “uwwwww?” I just said the same thing too. That’s not all, I asked her to describe him in a few words and she says “Nnamdi is loving and caring… I know that I can count on him. He just makes me comfortable at home and I don’t feel threatened or apprehensive in my own home with my own family. He gives of himself totally, so that I don’t have to worry when I’m away on movie productions. He’s great as a father, and as a husband, he’s not lacking at all in that department. He is a great guy.” Omoni says with a leer.
With over a decade of being into marriage, Omoni sure knows how marriages can stand the test of time. Firstly, she says “Marriage can be tough if that’s what you decide to get out of it, and it can be fun and great if that’s what you want and work towards getting. Perceptions can ruin a beautiful thing, as well as farfetched expectations, so why not aspire to have a great relationship in marriage, rather than look at marriage as another prison sentence. Remember that the person you’re married to is not God, don’t expect him or her to be perfect, because you’re not.” Omoni admonishes.
And her second advise? Hear her “Forgiveness is very key in life and since we are speaking in the context of marriage, I want to say that if you don’t forgive, you will carry enough baggage on your head to destroy the good parts of your marriage. It would take the grace of God to send a breakthrough to deliver your load off your head like TY Bello did for Olajumoke.” She jokingly expresses, yet with an element of seriousness in the message.
Furthermore, she says “Marriage is work! If you want a great marriage, you have to work at it. It doesn’t just happen without your effort, so rise up to the occasion and start working at it, and while you’re at it, women, make sure you don’t lose the essence of why he was attracted to you in the first place. Some women believe once you are married, you can do as you like and not take care of yourself, this is not right”
“I get a lot of ‘what!!!? You gave birth to those three boys?’ I really do understand and appreciate people’s remarks but it is work to look good. Nothing good comes easy, I do my best to eat well and exercise. If you want to live long and enjoy sound health, you must eat wisely and correctly, never miss out on your veggies, exercise regularly and take enough water.” Oboli advices.
On her multi tasking abilities, she says “the kind of work I do is quite demanding and time consuming but I have however been able to multitask effectively by God’s grace. I make time for my family, we go on vacation together. You cannot be a success outside and a failure at home. After God, my family comes next before any other thing and that is how it should be. My family is my number one fan and they will always be priority”
“On being an actress, it has made multitasking easy because I love what I do. I will not stop giving my fans quality movie, I will keep raising the bar, I am excited about my recent films: First Lady and Wives on Strike, I am glad they are getting good reviews and I trust God for more inspiration and support. I trust that with God on my side, all things will work out for my good…I wish you reading this interview same and my advice for you is that you keep holding on to your dreams, one day…one day…it will come to pass” she concludes.
Kemi Ajumobi
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
