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 see people driving fancy cars; carrying fancy
bags and assume that a man is supposed to do all of that for them, so
they sell themselves in order to get it. But you don't have to do that.
You can always find ways to make money legally.
Ironically, some Nigeria men don't like ladies who don't depend on them.
How has that been between you and Peter?
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 theatre 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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