Lola
Omotayo, the heartthrob of Peter Okoye, one half of the P-Square music stars,
talks on how her relationship with the musician started and her plan of being
an actress.
Excerpts;
Many
people got to know you when your relationship with Peter Okoye started. Who
really is Lola Omotayo?
Simply put,
what you see is what you get. I can’t really define who I am per se, but I’m
humble, caring, loving and a professional in the oil and gas profession. I take
my work and family very seriously because they are very important to me, my
family in particular.
Your
heartthrob, Peter is quite successful, but you seem not to depend on his
wealth. What’s your driving force?
I believe
that as a lady, you have to support your partner. You can’t put everything on
your partner; it is important to add value as well. Even though I’m not
bringing as much as he brings to the table, at least, I’m adding value and
making things a lot easier.
Honestly,
that’s the way I was brought up; I can’t rely on someone for everything. I have
to be independent. I should be able to buy something for my kids without asking
their father for money. I feel good as a person knowing that I can do things
for myself, not that I want to feel above him in anyway, but I just feel it is
important for me to add some value to his life as much as he adds to mine.
What
advice do you have for Nigerian ladies who put all their financial burdens on
their partner?
I think
that is the core of our problems in this society because we put so much
pressure on the man to take care of us, pay our bills…we put so much pressure
on them, and that tempts some men to start doing some shady businesses. Women
put too much pressure on men in this part of the world.
Also, a lot
of women are greedy and lazy, so they just want to get married and stop
working. It doesn’t mean women should go all out and work for the men, but
somehow, you just have to make things easy for him. I see a lot of young ladies
out there; it is not as if there are no jobs for them to do, the problem is
that they don’t want to do certain type of jobs, they want everything to come
easy.
I started
the very hard way, I didn’t start the easy way like people assume. I had to
work myself up there because I had a vision. A lot of young ladies in Nigeria
Ironically,
some Nigeria
I love
Peter because he was never intimidated. When I met him, he was just trying to
build himself and I was very proud of him. I have a lot of respect for him, his
talent and I saw that he had a vision. Peter doesn't get intimidated by
anything; in fact, he supports and encourages me all the time. I think he’s
happy that he doesn't have to do everything; he can rely on me that I will take
care of our kids.
What
actually attracted you to Peter?
Peter has
drive. He has vision and pursues it. He doesn't let anybody distract him from
that vision and that I saw in him, which a lot of people didn't see. Some
people were like, ‘what are you doing with a musician? Are you crazy?’ but I
saw something very different and unique about Peter.
I saw the
goals he set for himself and how he accomplished those goals step by step, and
I was very impressed with that. I also saw that he wasn't a selfish
person.
He was a
generous person from the outset, even though he didn't have much then, he was
always generous. I like a man who is generous, not for the financial reason,
but also to see how he can add value to other people’s lives; that is very
important to me. He is also a good listener; he listens to people, listens to
me…those are the things that attracted me to Peter. He’s an amazing guy.
How
romantic is he?
Peter is
very romantic as well. He does things that an average Nigerian guy will not do.
There was a Valentine’s Day that he came to my house with a guitar and played
some love ballads for me. That was really cool and I loved it. Those are the
little things that he does that really touched me.
How
challenging is it to date a celebrity?
Having a
relationship with a musician is one of the most challenging situations to be
in. There are things you have to deal with; a lot of women, intruders, fans. You
have to appreciate and respect the fans, but you also have some of them who are
thinking of other things. I think it’s one of the most challenging
relationships one can have.
You won’t
even spend much time with your partner because he’s on the road most of the
time doing shows and concerts; even during holidays like Christmas, Easter and
New Year, they are not around. So I’m not really enjoying that part. But I
thank God that we are managing it very well.
With
your background in theater arts, should we expect you in Nollywood soon?
No. it’s
not my thing anymore. Maybe I had the interest 10 years ago, but not now. But
if I have to make films, it will be Yoruba movies.
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