I Have No Regrets About Leaving Nollywood to Raise My Children — Veteran Actress Maureen Solomon-Okereke

Veteran Nollywood actress Maureen Solomon-Okereke has opened up about why she stepped away from acting at the height of her career, saying her decision was driven by the need to focus on raising her children.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds, the actress said balancing motherhood with the demands of filming became increasingly difficult after the birth of her second child.

“It was a difficult decision to leave my work and take care of my family. When I had my son first, it was easy. I could take him to work, movie sets and the locations, but when my second child came, it was not that easy.”

Despite leaving a successful acting career, Solomon-Okereke said she has no regrets about putting her family first.

“Regrets how? I have a 20-year-old and I have a 19-year-old now… I don’t regret it at all. It got to a point where my daughter was about 5 years, and it wasn’t just going well, so I had to stop and give my time to them.”

Now back in Nollywood, the actress said returning has been seamless, noting that she followed the industry’s growth even during her years away. She added that taking time off for family did not diminish her passion for acting.

Solomon-Okereke also revealed that her acting career began unexpectedly after she accompanied her elder sister to an audition.

“The opportunity actually came on its own, I didn’t go looking for it… they were giving people script to read, it got to my turn and I read, that was it… my sister went to check for her name and saw my name.”

Commenting on the industry’s growing focus on social media influence, she dismissed the idea that an actor’s worth should be measured by their online following, saying, “I don’t believe in it.”