Eku Edewor on Love, Marriage and a Nollywood Career

Share with us some exciting memories while growing up in Nigeria

I have always had a very vibrant imagination and because of the fun I had growing up, I like to describe my childhood as something out of the Famous Five. I lived next door to my cousins in Apapa and we got caught up in so many adventures. We built boats for the rainy season. We chased the nanny away because we thought she wasn’t nice enough. School was fun too, [with] the theatrical activities and a few other things. I remember performing at the National theatre once in a professional play, and the country’s first lady was present. That, and many more, make memories of my youth, and I cherish every bit of it.

What challenges did you face in your new environment?

Before we travelled, my twin sister and I had always been lovers of adventure. We just saw that as another adventure. I wasn’t really the shy type, so it was easy for me to relate, and I had my sister. Again, the school we attended made it very easy for me. There were allowances for me to explore my creativity and develop my love for sports, and meeting other international students made it more fun.

You only spent a few months in the country before becoming 53 Xtra’s co-host. If you had not been picked, what would you have gone into?

I would still be in entertainment. Studio 53 was a very good opportunity, but I am a very determined person. I would have probably done more with my own production outfit and probably sold something to MNET. I would have focused on film, because that is what I have always wanted to do. I never planned to go into TV presenting but when it happened, I took it with a smile.

What do Women Really Want from Men?”

A fellow blogger (male) recently asked me the ancient question no one has found an answer to, viz:

“What do women want from men?”

I want to believe he asked me this because he sees me as this all-knowing feminine oracle, but I know better. I don’t know what ALL women want from men, but I know what I want. And I know what my friends say they want, so here goes…

I, woman, want…

- To lounge around the house sans makeup, in my ratty t-shirt, flip flops and jeans shorts if I feel like it to enjoy the feeling of my own skin.

- To wake up late on Saturday morning and find that you’ve done all the chores.

- To wake up on any morning with your arms around me.

Chuka Umunna - February Man Candy #12

Chuka Umunna is a Briton born to a Nigerian father. He is a politician in the UK, an MP and the Business Secretary in the labor party's shadow cabinet. Sexy! And I think he's single, don't quote me though. At 33, there is possibly someone already in the shadows :)

Talking to Indie Author Land about A Love Rekindled

This interview was done with David Njoku who wanted to know more about my last book and what's coming next

Tell us about A Love Rekindled

When Efe Sagay receives a transfer to the branch of a prestigious hotel chain in the Nigerian capital, she accepts it, happy to return home to family after years in the United States. Also, Nigeria is a big place, right? There should be nothing about her new city, Abuja, to remind her of the heartbreak of her relationship with ex-fiancé, Kevwe Mukoro.

However, Efe is facing Kevwe across an office seven months later, swamped by emotions she’d thought were dead. When Kevwe claims he’s never stopped loving her, and asks why she abandoned him, Efe stomps off, incensed. It was the other way around! 

But they are unable to stay away from each other, and buried desire flares. Ultimately, passion is no match for the bitter memories of broken promises. Efe and Kevwe have to resolve the traumatic events of the past before love can be rekindled.

President Jonathan and Patience's AFCON Win PDA

President Jonathan shared a hug with Dame Patience after Nigeria won the AFCON Trophy

Congrats to the Super Eagles, we needed some good news after all that has been going on. I like that the President and his wife are so dressed down, and look like ordinary people for once. The happiness on their faces is also infectious. Maybe we'll see a kiss when we win the world cup :)

Some more pictures of President Jonathan and his wife's PDA...

How to Cook Thick Chili Con Carne - Serve with Pap

Chili is what we call beans porridge in Nigeria, beans stewed in oil, tomatoes, pepper and other condiments. Chili Con Carne is when you add meat to the equation, in this instance minced beef. There are various ways to cook this, as usual, but mostly kidney beans are used more than black-eyed beans. The way I cook this one, you'll have a thick outcome, best served with pap.

Ingredients:

1 pack of 85% ground beef
2 packs of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 ladlefuls of vegetable oil
2 large tins of tomato puree
5 medium sized fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 large chopped onions
1 tablespoon dried garlic or to taste
1 tablespoon dried ground cumin or to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano or to taste
2 tablespoons chili powder or to taste
Salt and other mixed spices to taste

Men Spend More For Valentine's Day Than Women

The telegraph UK used the title, "Men are more romantic than women" to discuss the results of a consumer poll which wanted to know the spending habits of both men and women for Valentine's Day. I'm not surprised that it turned out that more men spend loads more money and go the extra mile in choosing gifts than women, after all, that's the way it has been commercialized. Using that to say men are more romantic than women may be stretching it.

Just days before the most romantic day of the year, it emerged that women are 50 per cent more likely to ignore the event altogether. Figures also show that more women are also more likely to mark the day with nothing more than a card, shunning any extravagant show of affection. The disclosure was made in a survey of around 2,000 men and women by the researchers Consumer Intelligence in the run up to Valentine’s Day on February 14.

The poll found that around 21.5 per cent of women said they would do nothing to celebrate, compared with just 14.5 per cent of men. It emerged that more than a quarter of women relied on sending a card – up from 16 per cent of men.

Traffic Jams and Driving in Lagos

My last experience of traffic in Lagos was during my last visit in July/August 2012. I was staying at the family house in Festac, and I had to meet some people for my book business in VI. Now I know about the traffic situation, especially seeing that the expressway between Festac and most parts of the city was under construction. But before this time, I had always made it to where I was going within 2 hours, no matter how horrible the traffic.

On this day, it was different. The car I was using was sandwiched between a rock and a hard place, and I mean that almost literarily. We had a container truck in front of us, dishing out dirty grey, and sometimes black, fumes. Behind us was a Hummer Jeep, it had a steel grill guarding its front. On both sides of us were long lines of other cars, trailing forwards and backwards as far as the eye could see.

The driver debated routes, ones he should’ve taken, and others he shouldn’t have. But those were like crying over spilt milk. We were well and truly stuck. I wish I could tell you we were beamed away like the Captain in the Star Trek Movie franchises, or that the car suddenly developed invisible wings and took off, like in Ayodele Arigbabu’s sci-fi tale, but those would be lies.

Everywhere, there are Somebodies, Nobodies, and Bodies.

Sunday was a pretty busy day for me but I did manage to read Adaobi Nwaubani's NYT piece, "In Nigeria, You’re Either Somebody or Nobody". I agreed with her on the unfortunate class situation in Nigeria, and that the petty struggles to pull rank on each other affects the long-term progress of individuals and the development of the country as a whole, but I was turned off by the tone and most of the content of the piece. It sounded unrepentantly callous and there seemed no teachable moment contained in it.

We also had domestic servants growing up but my parents never made it seem that the people who lived with us were forever doomed to poverty, while we were guaranteed continuous and everlasting comfort. Our househelps, most older than me, are all married now and still in contact with my parents.  Some of them lived with us for over 10years before moving on to other things. A couple of them who joined my parents as 12/13 years olds, went on to become graduates, another is a certified secretary.

While they lived with us, they went to school, watched TV if they wanted to, they sang, they disciplined us, ate with us, went out with us as a family, went on holiday together, taught us to keep house, wash, cook and clean. So, I don't know about "feral scents" and "melancholic singing". Maybe Adaobi should ask her parents questions, or try to come out of the "Somebody" bubble she lives in, rather than trying to impress us with how heartless and disparaging she can be with words.

Couple Love on the Grammys Red Carpet Pictures

Amber Rose may be just a few days or so away from having her baby but she's still up and about and looking lovely beside Wiz on the red carpet of the Grammys. njoy the other pictures below;