Uru Eke on Single Parent Upbringing and Her Kind of Man

Uru Eke is an upcoming Nollywood actress. She used to work as a IT Consultant in the UK but moved back fully to work in the movie industry in Nigeria because that was what she felt more passionate about. She has been moving up gradually and and has now featured in several high profile movies including Last Flight to Abuja by Obi Emelonye. Uru Eke spoke to the BN Weekend interview crew on various subjects including her work, her family life, and thoughts on relationships. As you can imagine, I was very interested in the latter two. See some snippets from the interview and more pictures of Uru Eke below;

What kind of upbringing did you have?
I was raised in a strict environment. My Mum is a hard woman, no messing about with her. But she is my hero, my rock; I don’t know what I would have done without her. My Mum is the most positive person I know.

I notice you’ve only talked about your Mum. What about your Dad?
My Mum is a single parent but she did an amazing job. I don’t even feel like I grew up with a single parent. I turned out all right.


Some people are of the opinion that children brought up under single parents do not always turn out right. Pardon my question please but as someone who was raised by a single mother, what do you think about this?
I don’t know why they say that, I really don’t because my Mum gave me everything. We lived a good life, had a great upbringing, she gave us whatever we wanted. We travelled the world, she gave us the best of education and we all came out well. We all can cook, clean, are very domesticated and very respectful I must say. My Mum would say “if any of you goes to your husband’s house and your husband says I didn’t train you well, his mouth will bend”. She did an amazing job.

What really happened with your Dad? Do you still keep in touch with him?
Unfortunately, no. He is still alive but I really don’t know where he is. But I’m sure he is happy, I think. I want to believe that he is happy.

So what kind of man is your “spec”?
I am more of a depth person. When I meet a guy, it shouldn’t be just about the surface; the physical side of things don’t really play into it as much as the inner qualities. I like a man who I can talk about different subjects with. I love to dialogue and I love to throw out things that we can debate on. I’m very opinionated sometimes so I love a man who can challenge me in that area. Also I love sensitive men, I don’t like men who are hard and cold and macho. I love men who can actually show emotion. You don’t have to cry but you should be empathic.

Hmm, interesting qualities. Have you found this man?
Not exactly. I do have amazing male friends. The thing is I’m still weighing my options.

You must have a lot of options.
I won’t say that. It’s just that I want longevity and a future in my relationship so I like to connect with the person and if we can connect, everything else will follow. I don’t think we should be too physical in our dealings with the opposite sex otherwise we’re going to end up having lots of shallow relationships. I’d rather be single than go into a casual relationship.

With your twin sister already married, are you under any pressure to get married?
My dear Mum sometimes says “Uru my daughter, what is going on”? But I have told her “woman calm down”. I’m the sort of person that I could meet someone today and we probably might be married before the end of the month. So I’ve told her to calm down and not be worried. A lot of marriages these days crash easily and I don’t want that for myself. I grew up with a single mum and the last thing I want is to be a single mother to my kids. I’m not in a hurry, I’m not desperate.

On a parting note for now, what is the most important lesson you’ve learnt in life?
When I was offered my IT job, I’d never done anything remotely related to it. It was such a complex system that I couldn’t get my head around it. But by the sixth month, I was the go-to person. I was so determined to prove myself and I relate that to coming home and pursuing my acting career. I wasn’t sure this was what I was supposed to do but I said “Uru go and do it, you never know”. Ever since then I’ve had a personal motto which is ‘Go out there and get it because no one is going to hand it to you’ and that is really my take on life. You have to go out there and get what you want because no one is really going to bring it to you.

Read the full interview on Bellanaija.com