Veteran actress, Morenike Alausa, popularly known as Mama Ereko, shares some of her life experiences in this interview with Ademola Olonilua
How did you get the stage name, Mama Ereko?
It is just my stage name and I got it through a movie that I did early in my career. When I began acting, I started with my boss, Dehinde Egbebunmi, and he shot a film which storyline was about M.K.O Abiola’s life. In the movie, a character played the role of Abiola and I went to him for help because my shop, which was located at Ereko Market got burnt. When I got to his house, I met his wife who told me Abiola was not around but I should wait for him. She asked for my name and I told her. When her husband arrived, she told him that he had a visitor that introduced herself as Mama Ereko. Later that night when we were editing the movie, the cast members began to tease me by calling me Mama Ereko but I told them that I did not like the name and that they should stop taunting me. They did not listen and the name later stuck.
Doesn’t it bother you that most people do not know your real name?
Initially, I did not like the name but later, I got used to it. People also know my real name because I write my real name and my stage name on all my movies.
Why did you choose to become an actress?
I have always dreamed of becoming an actress. What further fuelled my passion for acting was a theatre group that used to rehearse near our house while I was growing up. The activities of the group really fascinated me. Back then, it was only stage plays that were organised. After the theatre group rehearsed during the day, they would normally give us a wonderful performance at night and that endeared me towards the profession.
Were your parents comfortable with the profession?
Although I loved the profession, my father was not in support of such. He was a very stern and disciplined man. When I also got married, my husband did not support my career, so I had to obey him. But in 1982, I joined Kokosari, and we did rehearsals daily. Although we rehearsed daily it was never shown on television and it seemed like a waste of time to me. We had no financial reward for our efforts. I became discouraged and decided to face raising my children because they did not have a father. I did not want them to become wayward children.
So, when did you give acting another try?
It was in 1993. This time I joined Dehinde Egbebunmi and in 1994, I produced my first movie, Iyawo Oga. The people that helped me coordinate the production duped me because I was a novice in the business. In 1996, I promoted Pasuma and I took him to a show at the National Theatre. I was still not happy with the returns I got from acting, so I quit the entertainment scene and began selling clothes. When I quit, I did not have rest of mind because I was constantly dreaming of myself acting. When I could not take it anymore, I decided to come back full time and I have not quit since then.
Why was your father against your dream of becoming an actress?
It was because he believed that it’s only wayward children that were into entertainment. I was very scared of my father while he was alive, so I did not even think of going against his wish. The only way I could have followed my dream while my father was alive was to run away from the house and I was not raised that way.
Were you a quiet or mischievous child while growing up?
We could not dare to be mischievous children with the kind of father that I had. I was a very quiet child. I hardly went to visit friends. My father gave birth to three girls and he raised us with an iron hand. Although we were all girls, he never pampered us because he believed if he did so, it would affect our future.
You also said your husband was against your dream career?
Yes, he took the same stance as my father. If I had refused to listen to him, he would have reported me to my father. All I did then was to show interest in the profession from afar. I could not partake in it actively although I was not happy but I did not have a choice. Not many people had television set during that time and anybody who had was treated like royalty. I had to make friends with people that had television so that I could watch Baba Sala’s stage plays.
How about schooling?
I did not complete my education. I went to primary school and stopped schooling after Primary One. I was quite brilliant and I remember that I took the 8th, 7th and 2nd position in each term respectively in school. When I was to get to primary two, my maternal grandmother fell ill. She had problems with her leg and she could not walk. My father told me to look after his mother because he could not be alive and watch his mother suffer. My maternal grandmother nursed that illness till I got married.
Don’t you regret the fact that even though you were brilliant, you did not complete your education?
Whenever I think about it, I regret it. It is probably my only regret in life. It pains my heart whenever I think about the fact that I did not go to school. I am also grateful to God because even without my education, I have achieved some feat that some educated people have not achieved. There are some places that I can go to that some educated people cannot dream of going. Few days ago, I went to greet Bola Tinubu and it is from his gate that people recognised me and started to greet me. That recognition alone is something to be grateful about.
How about your mother, how close were you to her?
My mother was a very wonderful woman. She lived in my house till about 17 days before she died. My sister came to pick her from my house to also take care of her. I cried for three years after my mother’s death. I am just recovering from the shock of her death and she died in 2009.
What fond memories of your mother can you readily recall?
They are numerous. When my mother died, all her grandchildren were crying as if it was a youngster that died. My first born is a soldier and he is in Sudan. When he heard of his grandmother’s death, he was weeping like a child on the phone. She was much loved.
How about your husband?
My children have no father. Their father has ceased to exist. I really do not want to talk about my marriage because it is not an issue that need to be addressed. My husband did not make me happy, so it is better I do not talk about such a painful experience.
Was he upset with you because of your career?
No. It had nothing to do with my career. The only joy I have from my marriage is the fact that I have children who are obedient to me.
Why did you not re-marry?
I believed that if I re-married, I would not have been able to look after my children the way I would have wanted to. I did not go to school, so I ensured that all my children went to school. I made them know that I would support their education to whatever level they wanted to attain. My last born is currently doing his National Youth Service Corps in Niger State. All my children went to school except one and I established a business for him. I would have loved him to also go to school but I noticed he was not cut out for education. I asked him what he wanted to become in life and he said he wanted to become a trader, so I supported him.
Why exactly did you quit your career twice?
The first time, I quit because we kept rehearsing and we were not being shown on television. I felt it was a waste of time because I could not be known if all I did was rehearsing and my face was not shown on television. I quit to take care of my children and established a business for myself. When I went back to the industry in 1993, I thought things would be better but I was wrong. When I noticed that, I decided to stay away from entertainment to make sure that I train my children in school. I decided to raise them till they became adults and could choose between good and bad. I figured that even if I became a successful actress and my children were wayward, I would have failed in life. So, I quit the job to raise my children. Our job is a peculiar one because an actress can be away from her home for over five days. Sometime she returns home without getting paid. If you are consistent on the job, it would later become very lucrative. When my children became mature, I decided to return to the industry without looking back again.
How have you been coping as a single parent?
It has not been easy but I thank God. My mother was always there for me whenever I needed support and that is one of the main reasons I miss her so much up till date.
When you started out in your career, did you ever believe you would become a household name?
Anyone who begins a journey and is boastful that he knows the outcome of such journey is only deceiving himself. All I know is that when I was starting out, I prayed to God to enable me to become a success in my career. If God supports you, then it doesn’t matter who is against you. I did not know I would become this famous but I prayed to God to help and bless my career.
Would you say you have got fame or fortune from acting?
There are three things we pursue in our career. The first is fame. With fame, people would recognise you and call you for more jobs. The next thing actors pursue is to strengthen their name so it could open doors for them. The last is money. Whoever is into our profession for money usually does not make it. That is the modalities of our job. Personally, this job has brought me fame.
We learnt that you are the Iya Adinni of a mosque. How did you bag the title?
It was after I shot the film, Rukayat, that I got the call from the mosque. I did not know them before and they told me they wanted to celebrate me. I thought they wanted to give me an award until they said they wanted to install me as the Iya Adinni of Wabilai Taofeek Mosque, Morocco, Shomolu. At first, I refused but they persuaded me and I accepted.
We also learnt that you were endorsed by Etisalat with about N10m. How true is that?
I have a lot of well-wishers. I wonder who said that I collected N10m because it is not true. They paid me but it was not up to N10m. When I heard the rumour, I was not angry because I believed it was concocted by my well- wishers.
We learnt that there was a time you were a kerosene seller…
I am still a kerosene seller but I handed over the business to my child. I am a retailer. After I handed over the business to my child, I decided to face theatre squarely.
Do you have any of your children toeing your path?
My male children are showing interest but I don’t think they have the time now. I am sure they would still venture into it. I am not pained because I know that some of them would still join me very soon. Some of my children have appeared in my movies already.
Not many of your contemporaries are into film production. Why do you produce most of your movies?
I will keep producing my movies till I die. Even if I cannot act any longer, I will source for the money and give to my children to do movies in my name. I believe that if you want to get the job done in the right manner, you have to do it yourself.
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