Omotola Jalade Ekeinde

“I don't like the pressure that people put on women to fit into one narrative. If a woman needs to step away for a while to take care of her children, then that is what she needs to do... So take the time you need, and when you are ready, come back. Your spot will always be there waiting for you. Nobody else can take it.”

“People often think that independent or contemporary women cannot fulfil traditional roles in the African context. The assumption is that you are either one thing or the other, either "tough" or "homely." But that is not true. You can be all of it. You can be both soft and nurturing, and yet career-driven.”

“Legacy is important to me because when I am gone, that is the only thing people hold on to. You won't think of how much I had, how much I made, or how much I spent. It would be what I stood for.”

“Had to build my brand back to being desirable after getting married at 18 and giving birth at 19.”

“I lost my father when I was 12. Lost my mom when I was 22. Started working when I was 16 to cater for my younger ones.”

“I would say it's by simply being myself. I learned a long time ago to embrace who I am and just relax. I try not to force anything or do anything artificial that could stress my body or mind. I take life easy, stay happy, and leave the rest to God.”

“I've come to a place where I realize I have to leave something. I have to have a legacy. We need infrastructure; that's what we need now in Nollywood. We have the fans, we have the figures, we have people chanting and calling your name but we don't have infrastructure. We need studios, we need film villages, we need schools, and that's exactly what I'm doing right now.”

“Women should empower themselves while still remaining true to their marriage and husbands. If a marriage is stressful, emotionally destructive, I think we should be strong enough to walk away from such damaging unions.”

“There is space for you in this world and the world is waiting for you to PERFECT yourself and PRESENT yourself.”

“You can’t define success in one sentence, a lot of people have tried to do that. Success is relative. What is success to you might not be success to me but I think generally its a state of peace of mind. A state of acceptance and a state of joy.”

“Do not limit yourself from whom you learn from. Everyone has something you can learn from.”