My father does not like acting - Moji, Victor Olaiya's daughter

Nollywood actress, Moji, is daughter of highlife music legend, Dr. Victor Olaiya. She tells GBENGA ADENIJI what it feels like to be one of the children of the popular singer. To read interview and view more pictures please continue Your father is popular musician, while you have picked a career in acting, did he influence your choice? My father does not like acting. When one of my aunties wanted to start a career in acting, a family meeting was held, where she was scolded for the decision to be an actress. When I got into the industry I decided not to tell my father or anybody because I knew what the answer would be. I was in the play, No Pains No Gains produced by Wale Adenuga Production, and when the play hit the airwaves, he watched it to my delight. He did not plan to watch the play, he was at home watching television when he saw the programme and decided to watch it. I think he fell in love with my style immediately. The programme was always on air on Thursdays while it was running. After watching a few editions, he noticed that I was fast gaining fans and comments about me were positive. It changed everything because after he finished watching the series, he called me one day and said, 'Ireti, the superstar.' Ireti was my stage name in the series.To my surprise, I got his blessings and words of encouragement. Today, my father is my number one fan. He rarely watches films but he enjoys watching the ones I feature in. He regularly tells me that I act well. This revelation coming from my great father not only gladdens my heart but has also further propelled me to give my best each time I am on set. How much of your father do you really know? I see my father as my god. There are so many people that cannot reveal who their fathers or parents are. He is a man that I always feel proud associating with. His name opens doors for all his children anywhere we find ourselves. I am always very delighted and privileged to be the daughter of a great highlife singer. He is somebody that is well respected in the society and he is a disciplinarian. Your father has many children but how does he maintain the family bond? Because of the nature of his profession, he seldom stayed around when he was very active. But despite his tight music schedule, he listened to his children and found time to discuss their future with them. He still exhibits those traits now even though the children are adults and are independent. I no longer see him often because of the nature of my job but I am very close to him. Even though his children are many, we are all close to him. He does not joke with his children. How does he relate with friends of his children? While we were growing up, my father did not allow us to associate too much with people. He was conscious of our choice of friends so he kept watching us all the time. I remember that even my brothers were cautious of bringing home friends that dad did not know well or approve of. Being a Christian, morning devotion was something he took seriously. All his children must pray together in the morning before starting the day's activities. Before going to bed at night, we must gather again for prayers. It was important then that we must leave whatever we were doing when it was time for prayers because the family must pray together. He would tell us that prayers are crucial to achieving anything meaningful in life. We read many passages in the Bible and there is hardly any passage that we do not know offhand. We usually took turns to read the passages and he would take his time to study them with us. At times, he would read a particular passage and tell us to memorise it for the next prayer meeting. So we would read that passage over and over so as to be able to recite it when called upon to do so. Although he was a busy man, my father would go out of his way to drive us to school and bring us back. He has many wives but all of them followed in his footsteps. They led prayer sessions and supported my dad in everything he did. Today, all his children live in the way of God because of the discipline he instilled while we were growing up. What is his position concerning education? He desired and ensured good education for us all. I remember that when we were very young, he would tell us that education was the only legacy he could bequeath to us and nothing else. And that whatever we made out of it would assist us in becoming whatever we wished to be in life. What type of punishment did he give to his children when they erred? My father would not overlook any act of indiscipline in the house and he still does that. But he would not beat a child. He is a musician so he knows how to touch the heart of a man. He preferred to sit down any of his children that erred and talk with him or her. He could just take the Bible to teach us certain things. These are the ways he corrected. Sometimes, he would point out a passage in the Bible to show that certain behaviours are not acceptable to God. Is there any special thing you wish to inherit from him? He has given me all so it's my duty now to protect them and pass them on to my children. As I watch him grow old every day, I keep praying to God to keep him forever if it is possible. I just don't want him to go away. He is full of integrity and very modest. You cannot see him renege on his promises and he does not promise what he cannot give. Your father married many wives, don't you see this as a dent on his modesty? I think he was able to make us see the positive side in polygamy although he never preached it to us. He has succeeded in managing that part of his life well without leaving a bad impression in the minds of his children. Even though he is a polygamist, it will be difficult for anyone to know which child belongs to which mother. All the women treated the children in the same way when we were all living together. It's amazing how he did it but he deserves more credit than we sometimes give him. In the Olaiya family, we are all one. Are you sure that you know all the women in his life? Besides having many wives, there is no record of scandals in my father's life. He performed at many government and social functions but he did not like attending parties as a guest. Even now that he is a relaxed man, he hardly accepts party invitations. He lives and works in social circle but humility is his watchword. I learnt a lot from that and it's working for me now because I live and work in an environment similar to his. He has a hotel where he still plays and each time I visit him, I am always thrilled seeing him interact with his band members, playing the trumpet and chatting with them. You have said a lot about moral which you inherited from your father and how it has helped you in daily life, but there are a few unpleasant reports about you. Don't you think your father will be disappointed? Well, I know that in the industry I am one of those who have a good image. But if there are scandalous reports about me in the media, I know that they are not true. I work in an environment where I cannot enjoy my privacy; a lot of people, especially the media want to see you do funny things so that they can wrote about them, but that is the price of stardom. However, it is important that one should learn to ignore some things especially when you know they are not true. I remember a time when I was furious because a particular soft-sell magazine wrote something nasty about me. My dad called me and said, 'Don't be furious because that is the price you pay for reaching the stardom.' He told me that when he was younger they criticised him that his voice was husky and they also said many things about him. But look at his life today. Your father entertains others to earn a living but have you ever considered how you will feel having your father being entertained instead of the other way round? It's what he chose and he is good at it. He is a celebrity who has touched many people positively. The reversal of roles would not have had any impact on how I feel about him. Did you have the chance to watch him on stage in his younger days? Yes, I have watched many of his performances. I was told of his spectacular performance when the Queen of England visited Nigeria. I was not born then. We also watch him perform every December 31, his birthday, in his hotel in Surulere, Lagos. I appreciate him and his energy, even though he is 82 years now, he has the strength of a man in his average age. When he celebrated his 60 years on stage, he got everybody on their feet. I was thrilled that despite being 82, he still plays the trumpet well and has good health. You said his name opens doors for his children, how has this helped you? There are many instances. But I can specially recollect an instance when I applied for a visa to travel to Germany so that I could take part in a stage play. During the interview stage, the interviewer got to know who my father was and told me that she loves my father's songs. It was a proud moment for me even before I got talking about myself. I couldn't have introduced myself better than what his achievements, name and fame offered me. Since entertainment runs in your family, did your father's singing influence your acting career in any way? I think it is how God has planned my career that it turned out to be. Even when I went for the audition of the first television series I participated in, I never thought I would become a popular figure in the industry. I never planned to be an actress. All my life, I have always wanted to be a broadcaster.