ZAINAB BUKKY AJAIYI YORUBA ACTRESS ACTRESS ACTING IS MY PASSION I CAN NEVER RETIRE

Zainab Bukky Ajayi, said she is almost to 70s than 50s. but she loves what she does for a living with passion. She converted to Islam in the early eighties and choose the name Zainab.retire

I love what I am doing and I don’t think I can quit from it

 Mylove for the theatre started as a young girl when my father used to take me to the cinemas.I used to tell him that one day I am going to be like one of those actresses, but unfortunately he never lived to see me become an actress, it’s a pity but that’s God’s will. When I was a very young girl, my interest was so much that I used to do a cardboard sort of cinema for children, and I used to charge them half a penny to come and watch.
Later, the opportunity came for me to study in England. I was in abroad for six years, as a Federal government scholar.
 I left England and came back to Nigeria after my education in 1965 and start out working in Nigeria Television as a presentation assistant in 1966. "Then we had an extremely good leader in Dr. Christopher Kolade, who was always monitoring what we do.then we had this Thursday meeting, which all announcers all over the states must attend, and this kept all of us on our toes. Then it was not a question of being glamorous, because unknowingly, you will be recorded off transmission the night before the meeting, the tape will now be played back on that day whilst we are having the meeting, and the best part is that, a younger person who is just coming in will be asked to criticize you, so that kept all of us on our toes."

Afterwards, I became a presenter and then a news reader. I presented a couple of children’s programmes and ‘Nigerian’s Sketches’, a programme which was all about Nigerian culture, and Diran Ajijedidun of blessed memory that was my producer. I was later transferred to Port Harcourt and later came back to Lagos, and it was at that time I started my acting career.Istarted with the ‘Village Headmaster’ in the 70’s, and I later got a role in Amaka Igwe’s ‘Checkmate’. I was featured in so many home videos that I can not count.

Shooting of international film Critical assignment in South Africa, is one of the events of my life that I will never forget. "It gave me an opportunity to see how it is done elsewhere, other than Nigeria, where a movie is shot in five days. I went round the country. I saw how a star is treated. For once in my life, I was a star, I was treated as a star, and I believe I am a star. I had my own caravan with my name on it, my own car with a driver who doubles as my security man. and  when I am not working the car is there to take me wherever I want to go. I had a lovely time, I enjoyed it and I said to my almighty Allah that Hollywood is the next step.