BY KEMI YESUFU
Flash back to the 1990s, to the early years of Nollywood when the movie, Glamour Girls struck a chord with fans. One scene in the film stands out till date: a woman of easy virtue harassing a man who innocently gives her a lift, asking him embarrassingly to “pay me my money”. Barbara Odoh is the lady who plays this unforgettable role which lots of older Nollywood fans remember with nostalgia.
But in an ironic twist that looks like it was taken from a blockbuster film, the former Glamour Girl is now an evangelist, motivational speaker and social crusader. As the National President of her NGO, Society For Care and Value Re-orientation (SCAVRO), Barbara collaborated with the Italian organisations to combat the trafficking of girls into Europe for commercial sex. Combining her work in the NGO with her programme on AIT, many in the federal capital city were glad that Barbara had bounced back from the post Glamour Girls lull.
The sultry actress, who married Ekpeyong Eyo Nkune on April 18, 2008, caused a stir when they arrived the Greenland Ministries, Utako, Abuja venue of their wedding ceremony guarded by policemen on horseback. The society wedding officiated by Pastor Kingsley Ike of Wamilele fame witnessed a large turnout of friends of the couple.
The same thing applied to the wedding reception chaired by the late Ambassador Olusegun Olusola, as loads of family members and well-wishers attended the event. Barbara in her characteristic flamboyant manner chose red attire over her traditional white/cream wedding gown. But shocked guests at the wedding reception soon understood why she chose a red gown. When it was time to hit the floor, Barbara and her husband danced to the famous Chris De burgh song, Lady in Red.
It was indeed a romantic sight with guests hoping that the actress had finally found true love in her second attempt at marriage. At the occasion, the ex-Glamour Girl even expressed optimism that she had reached her last bus stop. “People may have their opinion about my giving marriage a second trial but what matters is how I feel. Right now, my goal is to make my marriage a happy one. What people should do is pray for me that everything works out fine,” she said.
Though, people had offered prayer for Barbara that that marriage should be her last, it seemed things did not work out as The Entertainer can reveal that the four-year-old marriage has crashed irretrievably. Barbara in an interview held on Friday January 4, 2013 confirmed the speculations that she had moved out of her matrimonial home. “It is not good news but I have to admit to you that the talk making the round is not far from the truth,” she stated. The Entertainer learnt that the actress had suffered physical and verbal abuse while the marriage lasted. According to her, the marriage was doomed from the start. She disclosed: “It (marriage) has been off and on.
It has been eight months I stopped living with him. I thought I had something good. But I must confess that right from the beginning, there were signs that we weren’t going to last. To say that we have irreconcilable differences will be an understatement. A lot happened. But I wouldn’t say much for now.” Barbara went further to say with a tone of finality that she will not go back to her husband, noting that she had learnt life-changing lessons. “Never will there be reconciliation between us,” she affirmed.
“Honestly, I feel very enriched by the experience,” she added while brushing off suggestions that a self-confessed evangelist like her shouldn’t divorce her spouse. “Let me just quickly help you and others that might be interested. When things go wrong in a marriage, people who are far off expect that you should find a convenient quotation from the scriptures and hide under it to continue in a bad marriage.
I don’t belong to this group of people. I accept my mistakes, I take responsibility for what might have gone wrong in the marriage and I have moved on with my life. “I also allude my decision to move on with my life to the scriptures which says, ‘all things work for the good of the children of God’. I can tell you that my family has returned his bride price to his family. Like I said earlier, I am enriched by the experience of a failed marriage.
Everything happens for a reason”. Sad but unperturbed, Barbara, a mother of two, told The Entertainer that she will give marriage a third trial, should Mr. Right show up again. “I surely will give marriage another trial. Only the dead don’t dream of a happier future. Only the dead don’t hope for something good to happen to them. Though, getting married again is not a priority for me, I haven’t given up meeting the right person in future,” she concluded.
Nonessensical interview with a woman who has come across so arrogantly on this interview. Maybe this man is very better off to say good ridden to bad rubbish.
Lady, U shld ignor all response to yr story. what do you expect from ignorant self righteous religious brains quoting bibble verbertum. Let them say. It is your life. you know why you ran. U owe no one any apology. An assertive lady is called arrogant so understan where their 19th century brain is coming from. Move on me lady with yr head high. U hav done the right thing. These pple wld not care if U had stayed in bad relationship & DIE young of high blood pressure b/c of ‘wetin pple go say’. Let me sieze this opportunity to advise women in abusive relationships. God is not against you starting over. God is our father. He loves us. If something is not working & is abt to end yr life, walk away from it. carry tht lesson to yr next step & dont make the same mistake again. Learn from it. but to stay there & listen to all these ignants (ignorants) who dont really get it, U’ll ruin yrself. Make yr mistakes, take responsibility, learn from it move on. To H…. with whatever any one thinks. It is between U & yr God So be @ peace with yrself to live long to raise yr 2 children. Nobody shld judge nobody. Hold thy tongue. yo’all.
i say it is nobody’d buissness. it is between you & yr god. U have done the right thing.
The ghost of the role played by Babara Odoh is possibly after the lady who in her role in glamour girls turned morality on its head. Before thinking of a third marriage I suggest that she be first delivered from the spirit of the Glamour Girls otherwise the yet to be contracted 3rd marriage will suffer the same fate
Here is a woman who is desperately trying to replicate all that Madona stands for in marriage. But the most annoying aspect of what Miss Barbara and her ilks are doing is their concerted efforts to portray Christian faith in bad light by their claim to be evangelists,again,they make innocent men unwilling divorcees. Many so-called celebrities or rather actresses have become bad role models for Nigerian girls and marrying them rarely brings hope for those wishing to have a stable married life.
Woman, if 2 attempts did not work out, what makes you think the 3rd attempt will hold? Reading thru your comments, one understands that your arrogance as one issue, there may be more, which can only be known by your husband. Am not impressed especially when things gets to this level, all manner of new titles begin to appear b4 ur names like (evangelist). I Wonder the kind of msg you pass to ur listeners. You now claim u have learnt enough, enough to help you keep the 3rd marriage for good if Mr right turns up? Arguments like yours in this interview will only embolden younger unmarried ones who see you as role model and tend to hold such views as yours, probably end up in crashed marriages. Please, stop desecrating our culture and the sanctity of marriage. Remember that society and the younger ones looks at parents history first b4 they look at your children when they are at the ripe time of marriage. Do leave a burden of bad rubbish for them in future.
“Lord knows, dreams are hard to follow.” M. Carey.
Hear what the word of God says: whoever marries a divorced wife commits adultery with her…unless you use a different kind of Bible in your evangelism.
she is a bunch of mess. Hey, may i mess?
She should go to Prophet TB JOSHUA for Deliverance..she need deliverance 4 that spirit to be cast away.
Matt.19:9 Whoever divorces his wife unless on the grounds fornication and marries another commits adultry.
Mark 10:11-12…and if ever a woman after divorcing her husband marries another,she commits adultry.
Mal. 2:16 God hates divorce.
True word
Matt.19:9 whoever divorces his wife except on the ground of fornication, and marries another commits adultry.
Mark 10:11-12…and if ever a woman, after divorcing her husband, marries another, she commits adultry.
Mal. 2:16 God hates divorce.
When God said that all things work out together for good to those who love him and those called acording to his name, those who go contrary to his words are not among. Please my sister go back to your first husband and GOD will suprise you whit the best of your happiness including happiness which is what you desire now.
Chairman,
How can she go back to her first husband, what if the first husband is now married please explain that to me.
Oma oma, the first husband will put away the new woman and take back his first wife, because what he is doing with the new woman now is fornication according to the bible, it might seem difficult but that is the will of God and if you realy believe in God and decide to do his will, He will see you through and make a way where there seems to be no way.
Oma oma, the first husband will put away the new woman and take back his first wife, because what he is doing with the new woman now is fornication according to the bible, it might seem difficult but that is the will of God and if you realy believe in God and decide to do his will, He will see you through and make a way where there seems to be no way….
@Chairman, what will now happen if woman divorced the man in a Court and court grant them sepration and after 5yrs the man remarry, will the man send the humble and obidient new wife away for a woman who is careless of what happen to the man. a woman who can go again without looking back. will divorce and remarry continue to be the mans testymony…
All this ladies are just agent of darkness looking 4 men 2 distroy. Evan indeed
I expect somebody to tell her about submissiveness, if this is missing in a womans life,divorce will continue to Reign life champions league in that womans life. there is no single home that never faces ups and down, if you cherish your home as a woman Divorce will never be the option.except if your eyes is already outside, Kindly forget about marriage and face your children and stop disgracing your family and womanhood, little girls that are married are busy celebrating 5yrs,10yrs,even 20yrs in marriage, and you are busy celebrating failure,… Rememeber Having many boyfriends does not mean you are Beautyful ,bcos cheap product usually have many buyers ask CHINA PHONE.
The self acclaimed evangelist, what you need at this crucial time is change of attitude without which your 100th marriage is bound to crash. You may think that you have money, fame and what is more, you have the capacity to jump into any man you like. But let me candidly advice you, for the sake of those innocent children of yours you have to reconsider living a good life otherwise it will affect them in future. ‘A snake they say does must produce a long thing’, this is likely to hunt your innocent children for life. Most importantly, God’s judgement is sure for those who call His name in vain.
Once you have decided to publish your stories in front of the newspaper all bets are off it then becomes our collective business to those that read the story.
So this story is our business
@ chairman.I agreed to all your Bible submissions but what if the first husband divorce her on the ground of adultery.Let us make the Bible quotes according to our lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST clear: on no account can a man a divorce his wife except on the ground of adultery/fornication if he can not forgive/forget the act.Also, that was why Apostle Paul said if you divorce a woman not on the ground of adultery and marry another, he/she lives in perpetual adultery forever except it was on the ground of adultery then you are free or not bound not to re-marry – FINITO.Dear Barbara odoh have you divorced your first and second husbands on the ground of adultery? if no, then go back to your first husband.I fail to understand the kind of evangelist that you are ! Are you an Evangelist of adultery,arrogance,pride,fame or what? Sit in retrospect and examine your self critical because a third marriage is not for you now or in the future.shalom.
Even if one divorces his wife or her husband on the grounds of fornication, the bible encourages them to forgive and take them back. Remember that the bible did not command one to divorce, it is a choice in this situetion but if you cant forgive, you are not to marry another, this will only encourage you to forgive and take your partner back, all you need is to hand everything over to GOD sincerely and HE will make your marriage work. Divorce is not the solution, like we agreed.
Every prostitute, kidnapper, armed robber, man & woman of easy virtue assumes the title EVANGELIST or PASTOR these days, without genuine repentance, renunciation of worldliness, and total submission to God’s holy word
Nollywood and the entertainment world in Nigeria have produced many of church ‘evangelists’, because, in the last 20 years, the church has reduced his standard of holiness, and the world has entered the church, making it very difficult to differentiate between the two.
But we thank God that the Scriptures assure us that: “THE FOUNDATION OF GOD STANDETH SURE, HAVING THIS SEAL; ‘THE LORD KNOWETH THOSE WHO ARE HIS’ and ‘LET ALL THAT NAME THE NAME OF THE LORD DEPART FROM INIQUITY’ “
what would you say to your sister that always physically abused in marriage. Endure and get killed like the Lagos banker and we bury you?