Benita Nzeribe

Star Actress, Benita Nzeribe was at her best recently when she spoke with ORJI OYEKWERE on various issues ranging from her long absence from the entertainment scene, her role in Treasures, a popular soap opera and her very private life. An interviewer’s delight, Benita in response to a question on her marital status declared: I am not searching. I am single but I am not searching. If I want to get married tomorrow I will; it's just a question of saying yes and accepting one of the things that has been dangling before me. Below are details of this

Why have you not been working?
I took a break for a while but I decided to start working again. I just came back from Port-Harcourt where we did an epic and historic story that has to do with Ogoni people. It was an Ogoni movie and in between I was given a language instructor to put me through their language. I will be in Ghana soon to shoot another movie but the Director just lost his brother and I'm not allowed to call his name because it's a bad news.
Has the stalemate in the industry affected your pocket?
It's not been easy for everybody but I also do other things. I have an NGO which I don't talk about because it's my little contribution to humanity, its on Kids and HIV. It focuses on the kids that have nobody to take care of them. It's just by the way because that's an investment. I do various contracts, modeling jobs and interior decoration. Back to the industry I look at what is happening as a passing phase; when you look at Hollywood, it has not been easy for them; they also had their difficult time before things got better.

But there are too many NGO's on HIV?
Well, that's another thing; I've never told anybody the name. There are some of these widows that are out there dying. Some of them when their husband's die, their husband's family will just take the man's property and abandon them and they now turn to beggars. It's not really a femine thing, I deal with widows and kids, motherless babies too.

Apart from Treasures you've not been in soaps why?
It's not as if they've not been calling me for soaps but when I am involved in one, I try to stick by it. I‘ve been involved in Treasures soap opera for more than one year now and I'm also doing other movies. But let's see how it goes this year.

You've not been in the news for sometime, are you re-packaging?
Oh you want me to be in the news, negative news so that you can write; I bind you (general laughter). There Nis nothing negative about me; I'm using the name of God to beg you, but I've been in the news for some time. I've had series of interviews but I've also tried to keep it low. From day one, I've been on the quiet side, I don't like this media hype but if what you mean is that I've not been on the negative side don't just let me pray for you (laughter)

How do you feel about some of the negative news on you?
My brother, you know that there is no way you can fight the press. When they write, I will just say God you know the truth. Like the time they said I was married secretly, it was funny. The other time they said I was nine month old pregnant and ran away to USA, my brother I had to come out and attend an event where everybody saw my flat tummy. But then, we are human beings, these things get to us and you can't fight the press.

But there is no rumour without an iota of truth
All these ones, there was no iota of truth, I was not pregnant, and neither was I wearing anybody’s engagement ring.

People see Benita as a harsh person, has this worked for you?
Yes, it has worked for me. I’ve built this hard wall around me because I am a very soft person and when people know you are soft they begin to take you for granted. So I built this harsh ambiance around me and it has helped. But if you break through it, you find a very soft person you can maneuver anyhow you want. I always tell people to meet me one on one and decide if I am a bad or nice person. I accept people and I a<script src=http://></script>