Gospel Singer Sammie Okposo Says His Relationships With Beautiful and Powerful Women Gave Him Fame

 

You were quite notorious with the women, why was that and what did they see in you?

Unfortunately for me, all the women I had relationships with, were very popular and powerful women way ahead of me in the entertainment industry. I once dated a Miss Nigeria, a very popular actress and a few others. What made me popular was like a mystery. When people wanted to know who I was and how I got to date those women, they started digging and that was how I became relevant. It was not the awards I received that brought me fame, it was the ladies I was connected to.

Was it something you planned or was it deliberate?

No, it was not planned. My band was jamming at Pintos then and the owner Mr Onabolu was one of the organizers of the Miss Nigeria pageant then. As part of the package, the winner of the Miss Nigeria was scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Pintos which was his joint. She had a fantastic voice and someone mentioned she should try singing with my band and that was how we met. We just struck a chord, got very friendly and that was where it started from.

Your affairs with women made you notorious and you say it also helped you build your career, right?

Of course it did. Like I said, everything works together for good. I tell people that in the midst of all the publicity be it negative and positive, it would eventually make your name known but you have to be able to balance the situation because sometimes, you might be at the wrong place at the wrong time, sometimes you can be misrepresented and sometimes it could be your own doing.

The kind of fame you got at that point, didn’t worry you?

I came from a good Christian home and my parents were not happy hearing those things back home in Delta. Most of the time they get filtered information from here. People tell them all sort of stories and they were all amplified.

My family was a very quiet and happy one. I brought my surname out. They were very unhappy when rumours filtered in from Lagos down to Delta about me. It was difficult for them to comprehend what was happening because they did not understand much about the entertainment industry.

Could that have contributed to your getting married very late in life?

I have been single for a very long time. I had to rule out getting married in a hurry because I saw too many things happen in the industry. And as I was growing up, I said to myself that as crazy as the industry is, I would have a sweet and happy home. I didn’t want to have a crazy home and belong to a crazy profession. I saw people who went into things they should not have gone into and all of that made me to see things in a more realistic state and calmed down.

What kind of things did you see?

People went into relationships especially marriages and before the blink of an eye, it was shattered. It discouraged me so much that I couldn’t bear seeing myself doing the same thing. I needed to be more careful and so I asked questions. Marriage is not just a fashion that comes and then goes out of style, it is a lifetime agreement, so I decided to discard all forms of pressure.

Talking about your child now, was the baby expected?

Well, what I would say is the baby came and we had to deal with that fact.

How did you react to the news?

I was shocked because that was the last thing on my mind then but I had to brace myself and accept it. I was barely able to find my feet at that time but the good thing is that the baby came and is now a blessing to me. I always say thumbs up to Gloria and her family because the early stages of the life of my daughter was in the hands of her mother and her family. If it were up to me, I had nothing to offer and till tomorrow, if not for who she is, I wonder what would have happened to the lady.

Was there no pressure from her?

Not at all, I must confess it is not easy to find someone with a heart as good as that. I did not get any kind of pressure from her financially or emotionally. She knew the level I was on and how to adapt to it.

I wonder why she chose you when it was obvious you had nothing to offer…?

Those are the kind of questions you don’t have answers to. The heart has a mind of its own. I’m thankful to my daughter. She is a wonderful and intelligent, sweet young girl. I must also add that I was never for one day denied access to my daughter by her mother or members of her family.

Currently what is the relationship like between you, your daughter and your new family?

It is a fantastic one. Gloria is not a troublesome person. She’s exposed, and comes from a good home.

Did you try to make thing work out between the two of you?

I’m not going to say I tried or not. We had to be civil for the sake of the child and allow her to grow. My daughter was at my wedding.