Nnaji shared the story of her life. The Mbaise, Imo State-born
actress revealed she didn't grow up in the East.
She is what you call the typical Lagos girl. Speaking on her
childhood, she said: "I grew up in Lagos basically; my family
is here in Lagos. I went to Methodist Girls High School,
Yaba, Lagos. My mum is a teacher and my dad is a retired
banker. Okay, I'm from a family of 10, eight kids, mummy
and daddy. I left school in 97, went to UNILAG to do
Creative Arts (part time); it was difficult keeping up because
of doing movies, so I decided to drop and continue with the
movie until I'm ready."
That is not all, she grew up with strong Catholic background,
a church she claimed impacted conscience into her, and it was
that conscience the made her take a stand against abortion
when she became pregnant as a teenager. Speaking on her
child and pregnancy, she said: "Yes, I have a child. I was
pretty young though. What happened? What I learnt was that
no matter how much I try to control myself and be preserved
and everything, sh*t still happens to me. So, I think what is
meant to be will be.
You can only try to avoid it or prolong it, but it will be. The
truth is, if it hadn't happened I won't be here now, because it
had a way of shifting my life. So, it is like falling to one side
and trying to make the best out of it. I probably would not be
here. It happened and the best I did was not to dwell on it. It
affected me in a way, but I didn't dwell on it. I just felt it was
not about the downfall, but how to pick up yourself that
makes you a strong person, and not everybody would
understand. And there is this thing I keep telling myself; life
is once. So, life starts and ends with you. You live once, try to
make the best of it. Don't let people discourage you, people
are going to talk, they are going to judge, but truth is, people
who talk the most are those who do the worse. If you are not
important, people won't talk about you. Be yourself, be
happy."
The pregnancy was seven months gone before Genny's
Catholic mum discovered it. Genny said, "She couldn't
believe it, 'how can she be pregnant when she was very
careful'." A test confirmed it, her parents were disappointed
but stood their ground against abortion. "I didn't feel
anything. I didn't even know till I was about four months. It
was there, but I was still in shock. I didn't believe it. The only
time I actually believed it was when I saw it in a scan. Seven
months! And I saw it's in there and I said, "Okay, it's true!" I
was like, "Oh, it's like some disease...." I think I was pretty
much hard on myself then than my parents or people. I was
harder on myself, really. My parents reacted the way any
parent would react – disappointed. I didn't know. My mother
discovered it for me. I didn't know anything really. She
discovered it for me and it was too late, we couldn't do
anything and we're Catholics and I'm glad I didn't do
anything funny really."
Speaking further, she said: "Getting rid of the pregnancy was
an alternative then, but it was too late, because not until I was
four months before we discovered it and so it was not what
we could do, and my dad was like, 'it's a child for Christ's
sake. God knows why he wants to bring that child into life".
We are Catholics and it's just that conscience, you do wrong
once and doing another would not make the first right. So,
you either correct your mistake by doing the right thing. If I
was pregnant, and then have an abortion, it would have been
like murder after fornication! So, that was basically wrong.
"I'm sure everywoman knows the feeling of pregnancy, but
for the young girl – it is difficult for me to say now, because I
have grown much older – but I know at that time it was, let
me see... Anyway, I'd just wake up every morning hoping to
wake up from a dream... but you know it doesn't happen so.
It's more like giving me hope that 'no, it wasn't...' I was like
looking forward to sleeping and waking up, then it wasn't
getting any better anyway."
Were her parents at fault? No, Genny took responsibility, "Mine had nothing to do with it, it was a different case
entirely, which I wouldn't want to go into. My parents did
their jobs and I did my own job of listening and everything.
My parents were fantastic. I got the best of home training. It's
none of my parents' fault. I was close to mum and Dad and
they told me everything I needed to know, okay. But what
happened had to happen, somehow. So, I didn't think it had to
do with my parents, although some people could suffer from
not getting enough education from their parents, but I think
my mum did her part as a mother. Yes, she did."
On the lesson life taught her, she said: "Like I said before, I
have learnt that life is the way you live it. It is not about
theory, no lecturer can tell you what life is. Life is what you
make of it. Life is what you want it to be, basically. For
somebody like me, if I say I want this now and I work
towards it, nothing is going to keep me away from that, I'm
going to get it. Even if it means me drawing up my account, I
want that, and I'm happy. I always think of today and not
tomorrow. It is not like, 'Oh, my children in the future...'
whatever I do right now, I believe I'll dig into it. Yes, I will
try to be considerate later... but life is too short, you go now
and whatever you've achieved other people will enjoy it.
"I think it is doing what you love doing, that's what life is
basically all about. Be happy; whatever you do let it be worth
doing well. Don't do things because other people expect you
to do it. Please yourself, but don't be selfish about it. You
know it's not like when you enjoy killing; that's not what I
mean. Whatever your direction, if your father wants you to be
a doctor and you want to be a musician, follow your dreams!
At the end of the day, if you have a gift for it... (go for it)."
The ability to rise again when you fall, means you are not a
looser, always believe in yourself no matter the situation.
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