If truth be told, not many actresses in the country today can hold a candle close to the great Eucharia Anunobi. Only very few of them can match the acting skills and sublime craft Eucharia brings to the table. From the moment she hit our consciousness with her superlative performance in the monster hit movie, Glamour Girls in 1997, there’s been no stopping this power house thespian. With over twenty years of acting experience behind her and dozens of awards under her belt to show for it, this outstanding movie icon is not looking like slowing down any moment from now.
And although the unfortunate passing away of her adorable son and only child, Raymond Joshua Ekwu, on August 22, 2017, seemed set to halt her momentum for good, but this incredibly talented, strong willed and resilient woman has since bounced back from the devastation of her painful loss. Rather than grieve endlessly, she now uses every opportunity she gets to celebrate him even in death and remind the world of the absolutely wonderful gem it lost in Raymond who died at the age of fifteen. Yes, our gorgeous Eucharia has found her groove back. Her glow is back, her beauty has returned. Indeed, as a mother who loved her son to bits, her grief may not disappear so quickly, but Eucharia is trusting God to see her through it all. Not long ago, she marked the one year memorial of her son’s death.
At the recently held City People’s 2018 Movie Awards, where she was recognized for her invaluable contributions to the movie industry, Eucharia spoke glowingly about her son and gave an emotional tribute that moved many to tears. In this interview with City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL, she opened up on the loss of her only child and why she would forever miss him in so many ways.
Moments ago when you were making your speech after picking up your award, I was in the middle of the crowd and heard comments like this woman is articulate, this woman is strong, from two different people at the same time, all of them admiring your personality. Tell us, that inner strength you’ve always exuded even before the unfortunate passing away of your beloved son, where did it all come from?
It all came from Jehovah, the El-Shaddai, the king of glory. He has always been my pillar, my foundation, and my fortress. Since years ago, if you want to count down properly, 17th of March, 1997, which is the day that I did what you call in the Christendom, my alter call, I have never looked back from working with God. So, the strength that everybody sees today, the passion that everybody sees and is being made manifest that they’re now begin to acknowledge, come from him, the one that I call Yahweh, the one that existed before you and I came to being. He has been my anchor, He has been my pillar. He has been my fortress. And to Him, I give all the glory.
As a mother, minutes ago, you triggered up a lot of emotions when you spoke so glowingly and eloquently of your late son and I could see a lot of women moved to tears while you were at it. What would you say has been the most difficult thing to come to terms with all of this unfortunate experience?
Well, I don’t even know where to start from. Waking up each morning and not seeing him, I’m still to come to terms with it. I normally wake up by 2 a.m., by 4 a.m. and then by 5 a.m. to always want to pray over him, check on him and then wake him up and prepare him for school before the school bus comes to take him to school at 6.25 a.m. So, I still wake up at those times only to realize that he’s no more. So, I’m still finding it difficult to come to terms with the fact that he’s not there. And then, I go out and there’s nobody screaming, “Mummy!! You’re back!!” I still come home expecting that he’s going to come through the door to open the gate for me, in spite of the presence of the housekeepers or the gatemen being at the gate. He will always come running to the gate ahead of them and he was always smiling in happiness that I had returned home. But now, he never comes running anymore. He’s no longer there. I don’t know if I’m ever going to come to terms with it, but then, God is seeing me through day by day. This is all I can say for now.
What is that one thing in particular that you’ll say you have missed the most about him?
I miss everything about my son, not one thing. It’s not one thing. I mean, we’re talking about an only child, they were not two. So, when you talk about one thing it means I’m limiting him. But then I miss our prayer life. I was passing on the mantle onto him if you understand what I mean by that because we would do prayers. No matter where I went around the world, we would always talk on the phone and pray together. So, for me to mentor him, talk to him and groom him, I held on largely to God’s words. And there is one scripture I’d always held close to my heart, even long time before I became a serious Christian, and which is, train up a child the way he or she would go, and he would never depart from it. I hold it close because my parents used that to train me, to teach me, and till today, even as an adult that I am now, the moment it’s 7 pm, I start to get a little bit agitated because my dad would never let you stay out beyond that time. Even as an adult now, I am outside and I begin to get uncomfortable, thinking of how to take my leave. Then I remember that I am my own boss now. So, for me, I will want to say it’s not just one thing that I will miss about my son, I miss everything. But above all, I miss our prayer life because it was awesome. It used to be moments not just for family togetherness, it was also a moment to worship God, to know who God is. I was following the precepts of God line by line, precept upon precept in training my child. So, his going away suddenly, and not growing into full adulthood to manifest all that I have been teaching him, of course, you will know that my heart is broken. But what do I say? I can only thank God. I don’t want to complain because God says we should not complain, but it is well. All is well.
A lot of people here, particularly those who have been swarming around you, taking selfies, getting hugs and embrace since you stepped in here, must’ve been amazed to see how warm, how down-to-earth the great Eucharia Anunobi is, having been in the limelight from the days of ‘Glamour Girls’ to this moment. How have you been able to comport yourself with no airs and still keeping it real after all these years?
Well, because I found God early, and in finding God early, it made me realize that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. You know, it’s easy to get to the top, but it’s not easy to remain on top. And one thing that can keep you on top is character and humility. So, for me, the attributes that people see me showcase today is because I’ve sat down at the feet of Jesus for so long and He has fine-tuned me to be what I am and that is the character that everybody has been seeing all along. I will want to say that I give God all the glory for making me the great Eucharia that they all see. I couldn’t thank God enough. It’s all about God.
You have remained ever beautiful after all these years and even despite being a mother. How have you been able to maintain your look, your beauty, because I find it astonishing that you still have the same pretty face you had when you became a household name via Glamour Girls?
Well, I thank God. We know one thing for sure, we need to eat well, we need to drink well. And you know, our business is called show business, if you don’t maintain the ‘show’ by taking good care of yourself, you are just going to deteriorate. So, basically, I am one for eating well, exercising well, and abstaining from narcotics, or destructive things that you have to put into the system. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke. I eat well, I eat a lot of fruits and I take a lot of water. This is because one, I have come to realize and I knew a long time ago that I am going to be answerable to the one who gave my body to me, who is God. At the end of the day, it would all come down to what I did with my body. Truth is, no one has the right to destroy their body by taking drugs. No one has the right to destroy their brain or nervous system by taking harmful drugs because, at the end of the day, you will give account. One scripture that is always at the back of my mind, guiding me, keeping me, is second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 10, and it says, for we shall all come before the judgement seat of Christ and we shall give account of whatever it is that we have done in our body, whether it be good, whether it be bad. So, that for me, lets me know that I can’t use destructive things on my body because I’ve been told that my body is the temple of God, so why will I want to harm it? And why will I allow others to harm it for me? So, I’m looking good because I’m obeying the principles of God.
I’m sure a lot of people are waiting to see you back on screen, have you returned fully? Are you back to work now?
I have been working. If you go check on my Instagram and facebook pages, you will see uploads of the movies I have been doing. I never left by any chance, but then, you know, a lot of the movies we do these days, they only show them in cinemas now. Most times, because the movies are on cinema and they don’t advertise them the way they used to advertise before, that’s why people don’t seem to see the movies and they’re wondering where I am. I am there and I’m not going anywhere because God never said if you’re a pastor you shouldn’t work. Working as a ‘pastor’ is a service to humanity. But your career has nothing to do with you making a source of income. God never said you shouldn’t do business or you should not follow up with your career. So, my acting career stays and it doesn’t stop me from ministering the word of God as at when due and whenever the opportunity comes.
How would you compare what you and your generation brought to the table in the industry with what the younger generation, often called Instagram celebrities, are bringing today? How would you rate them? What sort of standards would you say they have brought to the profession?
Well, from what you’re saying, in terms of calling them Instagram celebrities, this is meant to be a platform to promote your work, so if you don’t have any craft you’re promoting, definitely you’ll not be recognized. That means only a few people will be recognizing you, but the real people who are meant to appreciate what you’ve got will not be able to appreciate you because you’ve not put anything on the table for them to measure you with. From what you’ve said, it can be said they’re only observing the times and the season they are in. But, then, we need to also be careful. In observing the time and the season they’re in, or that we’re in, they should ask themselves, is it the time or the season that God has really ordained? Because if you’re only famous on Instagram and there’s no substance to it, at the end of the day, where is it leading them to? Is it to greater jobs or to vanity? I will rather say most of them should look for the opportunity to be properly employed so that the substance that they’re carrying, which is their prowess in terms of acting or modeling, or singing, can be appropriated, maximized and then showcased. For me, putting up your pictures is only about your beauty, because with time, beauty will fade. Handsomeness will go. What should keep you and what will keep you for the long distance run, is the substance you have on the inside, which is your talent. So, what I will say to them is, they should crave for opportunities to showcase the inner talent that God has given to them and not be showcasing the external one that can just disappear like a shadow. But we will continue to pray for them, that the Lord Almighty will shine upon them and the producers that will recognize them will employ them appropriately.
Two more questions before I let you go, if you were to put a figure to the number of years you’ve been in the industry, how many years would that be?
That will be twenty years plus.
Okay. Will I be correct to say Glamour Girls was your big breakthrough to fame and fortune?
Yes, you’re right because before Glamour Girls in 1997, I had just been in the industry for about nine months thereabout after having finished university and my youth service, Glamour Girls came and that was it. Glamour Girls, just like in the life of an actor or actress, or an entertainer, you need a big break, a hit. So, you’re right to say Glamour Girls was my big break. It was the movie that catapulted me onto the seat of glory that I am sitting today, so you’re right.
You are, without a doubt, an extremely intelligent woman, and articulate too. Whenever you step out to speak, people listen. It will be nice if you take us through your academic profile.
To the glory of God, I had my first degree in the English Language from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I have a B.A. in English and I have my Masters in Social Work from Lagos State University, Ojo Main Campus. As a matter of fact, when I did my Masters, in my department, we were only two people qualified to do our Ph.D., I and one other lady. I also have a Post Graduate Diploma in Leadership and Pastoral course and by the grace of God, we are proceeding onto higher ones and when the times comes, I will let you know about it.
