Award winning Yoruba actress, Aisha Lawal is also a movie producer and businesswoman. She is very popular for her perfect delivery of scripts in Yoruba movies.
She obtained a law degree at Lead City University, and also a second degree in Public Administration. She joined the movie industry in 2008, after training under Femi Adebayo JT15 School of Performing Arts. She has featured in over 150 movies and still counting. She is so loved by fans and colleagues because of her simple nature and lifestyle. In this interview with City People’s BIODUN ALAO and ABIOLA ORISILE, she talked about motherhood and cleared the air on so many stories reported concerning the paternity of her baby. Below is the excerpt.
How were you able to get your figure back within a short period of delivery?
Yes, I have been able to shed weight quickly after delivery, that is because, I know the type of job I do, so I need to stay in shape in order to still feature in movie roles. I think the type of food I ate too, after delivery contributed, and I also drank lots of hot water to get rid of the bad blood.
So how have you been able to cope with your job and taking care of your baby?
Honestly, it has not been easy, even if you don’t have any career, and you just have a baby to take care, it is pretty difficult. It is time-consuming, it is very stressful. At a point, I was overwhelmed and really losing my mind, but at the end of the day, I was able to balance it.
How old is your baby and why is she not here?
She is 6 months old, and I don’t enjoy putting her through the stress of always moving from one place to another most times.
Have you been able to take up roles in movies, after child birth?
Yes, I have been able to manage the two perfectly, so she can cope without me around. But in anything I do, I put her first, whatever location, I am in, if it is outside the city, it has to be a day’s job I have to be back that same day, and if it is within the town, I will finish up and go back home, sleep and return to location, the following day, and if it is in Ibadan, I will go and stay with my mum.
How do you feel with your husband not being around?
My husband is with me, he is around he stays around.
Is he in the industry?
No. He is not in the industry.
How did you meet him?
It is a long story I don’t like to talk about.
Did he see you on screen and fell in love with you?
No.
How long did you guys date before he proposed?
Like a couple of years.
At what point in time, did he decide to propose?
I honestly don’t like to talk about my marriage and private life on papers. All I can say is that I am happily married, and my husband is a Muslim.
Looking at your journey so far, how fulfilled are you now that you are a mother?
Many don’t know, I waited for a while before I could have the baby, it was my first pregnancy and my first child.
If you are not married legally, why were you waiting?
I never did anything elaborate to celebrate my marriage, and the Yoruba thing came to play, I mean, trying to get pregnant before getting married, so that was what happened.
How did you feel, seeing your baby for the first time?
I can really explain that, because my journey was my labour was somehow complicated. When I finally had the strength, even till date, when I see my baby, I am always like, Is she really mine? I keep asking my mum and my husband if the baby is really mine? I can’t still get over, the fact that she is my baby.
People always say giving birth is between life and death, how true is that?
Yes, that is so true, when I wanted to have my baby, I felt like my life was leaving my body, so I could give life to another being that was coming, I was feeling really choked sincerely, when I had the baby and I was fine, I told my mum that, she should have prepared my mind toward the delivery experience, though they said, some people find it easy but mine was a bit difficult.
What is the difference between Aisha Lawal on screen and the real Aisha?
Honestly, I just don’t like wahala, I get tired, when there is lots of controversy, stress and drama, I naturally hate drama.
Why are you not really active on Intagram, you don’t display or flaunt things on Instagram?
Honestly, that is one thing, I don’t like at all, so I am always surprised when the media attack me sometimes, despite my lifestyle, I don’t flaunt things because I don’t want drama, so why do they still attack me? I just want to be on my lane. I don’t want my daughter to grow up and start reading negative stories about me, I also don’t want my husband to read things that will make him dissociate himself from me. I don’t want trouble, I just want to do my stuff peacefully.
What do you have to say as regards the scandal and stories that was posted concerning your pregnancy and the baby?
The daughter is far more important than any story that has been written, so I just decided to keep quiet and let it go. Maturity and education is more than any scandalous story, so it’s always better to ignore and let it go.
How true is it, that you married someone’s else husband?
Let them bring the wife of the man that I married. So, it is not my fault, they couldn’t provide the wife of the man I married. And I tell people, everybody has their own journey, if you judge and destroy my name because you want to get famous, I will only wish you what I have been through in life and where I am today, I wish you the same journey, and you will be judged that way too.
What has life in general taught you?
It has only taught me that the only person, you can depend on is God, and that is just the only way.
Have you ever sat and wished you were never an actress?
Yes, and that was when I had my baby, I was like ah! I wish I never did this, if I was not an actress, there won’t be drama for the baby. You know the internet never forgets things, and I don’t want my baby to grow and see all these things, and I will start explaining things.
Now, that you are a mother, do you think, there are roles you can’t take again?
Yes, lots of them. I really get surprised when bloggers write things and people will be like, and these are supposed to role models? Are you supposed to pick artistes as your role models, for crying out loud? They are not pastors, even pastors are not supposed to be your role models. It is written in the Quran, don’t look at their characters but listen to their preaching, I grew up looking up to my mum. Artistes are not perfect, and can’t live a perfect life. They are humans and bound to have flaws like every normal human. Despite looking up to my mum, and I know her very well, there are still somethings about her, that I don’t really like, and that is because that is her person and she can’t be perfect, so I want my kids to always look up to me as their role model, not a complete stranger. Yes, I need to mend my ways, if there are some things I need to curb.
Do you still have people you respect in the industry?
Yes, when such a question is asked, the answer that comes to mind is Aunty Joke Silver and Olu Jacobs, but I learned, they have been through a lot in their marriage as well. I learnt, they separated for a while too, at a point, and later came back, so I am sure, they settled things amicably because of maturity.
How long have you been in the industry?
I have been in the industry since 2008, I went through training, I have featured in a lot of movies, so I have lost count.
Are you working on any project now?
Yes, it is titled “Apala” it is not based on any true-life story, I just did it for normal entertainment.
Have you ever considered toning your skin colour?
No, my mum retired as a principal and there is training, that she instilled in us and we can’t just get rid off, even as an adult. So, as an adult, we still live with it and respect it a lot.
Secondly, I love my skin like this, I am also very comfortable with it, maybe in the nearest future, if I don’t like it, I can tone a bit, but not considering it all the same. I love myself just like this.
Why didn’t you ever consider settling down with someone in the industry?
Anyway, I belong to the school of thought that says one shouldn’t many someone fromt the same profession. I prefer my husband to come from a different industry or doing something totally different from mine, so if there’s any problem in that particular sector, we will not both be affected, so we won’t go down together, it is better, we belong to two different fields.
Do you ever miss going to court as a trained lawyer?
I love my job, I love acting, it is like being paid for your hobby, so I love it all. I have a strong passion for acting moreover with this career of mine, I can decide to go on break for months, people will not know. I travel a lot but, people don’t know, because I don’t get to post pictures every now and then. Travelling is my hobby. I don’t post pictures because I don’t like trending, just live my normal life, I use my personal money to travel, and it is not like I have it too much in essence, but I like to make myself happy and comfortable.
What else do you do besides acting?
I run a business, I have a shop, I sell human hair, I also have another shop, where I sell Aso-Ebi, at Orita Challenge.
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