“There’s no way they would mention Fred Amata, that they won’t mention Agatha Amata because I have two children for him, and I married him…”

Seventeen years (now 19) after her marriage to actor Fred Amata ended, media entrepreneur and talk show host, Agatha Amata, says people still pray they reconcile.

Ms Amata, the CEO of RaveTV Lagos and Trend FM100.9, Asaba, divorced the famous actor in 2005.

They have two children, Oreva and Stephanie.

Three years after their divorce, her ex-husband welcomed a daughter, Zino, with actress and ex-beauty queen, Ibinabo Fiberisima, in London.

Ms Amata became famous for her talk show, ‘Inside Out with Agatha’, which is said to be the longest-running television talk show in Nigeria, airing for over twenty years.

In an interview with Chude Jideonwo on the show #WithChude, Ms Amata opened up about single motherhood and how she handled the divorce, among other issues.

Getting back together

Ms Amata stated that, to date, some people still wish that she reunited with her ex-husband.

She said people asked her to get back together with the veteran actor for the sake her children.

“Some people still say that they pray Fred and I will get back together. I meet these people every day.

“I know that everybody wishes you well, but I always say to people, you can’t expect me better than I want myself. So if on my wedding day, as I was dancing and rejoicing, I certainly had no plans to leave the marriage.”

Ms Amata, a graduate of Botany from the University of Jos, also said that nobody in their right mind gets married with the hopes of getting a divorce.

“Let me say clearly, an unhappy home can never breed happy children.

“It’s not possible. If anything, it is going to injure those children and their outlook and their approach to marriage. The best you can do is for both of you to try to remain friends, as difficult as it may be, which is what I tried to do,” she said.

Acknowledging that the marriage didn’t work, the CEO, who retained her ex-husband’s surname, said she would not beat herself about it for the rest of her life.

I had to acknowledge that there’s no way they would mention Fred Amata, that they won’t say Agatha Amata because I have two children for him, and I married him.

“Amata’s ex-wife. That’s the introduction. It doesn’t matter what. I’m sure that even if I remarry and they want to introduce me, they will say ‘the former wife of…’.”

Ms Amata, who grew up partly in Kano, said she has come to embrace it, acknowledge it and work with it.

Speaking on the show, the 53-year-old media entrepreneur revealed that she put certain aspects of her life on hold to focus on raising her children.

She said she had no friends as everything about her life became about her children.

She said, “I stopped everything and focused on my children. If you look around, even in my office, their bed was there.

“Even when I sent them abroad to study, every month I was in their school. If they had Parents Day, I was there. They had anything they had to do, and I was there.”

– Premium Times

Anthony Joshua hasn’t had the best of weeks.

After going in as favourite for his fight against Daniel Dubois, the former two-time unified world heavyweight champion was stopped in brutal fashion.

It was a stunning display by Dubois, the current IBF world heavyweight champion, as he dominated Joshua in a manner that no previous boxer has been able to.

In a thoroughly deserved victory, Dubois showed that he should not have been underestimated as he had been.

For Anthony Joshua, it asked more questions for him at this stage of his career.

Does he want to continue boxing?

Or should this be the end of the road for the Olympic gold medalist?

The latest news emerging for Joshua is likely not what he wants to hear right now.

With the Kwara State government set to host the prestigious Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards on November 24, esteemed actors, Fausat Balogun, popular as Madam Saje, and Kanayo O Kanayo are poised to recieve the Best of Nollywood Lifetime Achievement Awards for 2024.

The announcement was made by Seun Oloketuyi, founder, BON Awards, earlier in the week.

With the announcement the duo are set to join other Nollywood greats in the league of Lifetime Achievement Award winners. On this list are people like Adebayo Salami, Toyin Adegbola, Madam Kofo, and others.

While speaking about the duo, Oloketuyi explained that there was a need to start celebrating film heroes in their lifetime, when they can enjoy the accolades.

He said , “Why must we wait till our film heroes are dead to give them awards? Posthumous awards are good, but its better the recipient is alive to recieve awards.”

Also weighing in, Feranmi Olaoye, the Executive Producer BON Awards revealed that the choice of Kanayo and Madam Saje were not made lightly.

“These two are people we grew up watching. They inspired the generation we watch now, and they still maintained their stand in the industry. They deserve to be celebrated, and that’s why we have chosen them as this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winners.

The 2024 edition of the BON Awards is billed to hold at the Sugar Factory Film Studios in Ilorin, the state’s latest hub for filmmakers.

Oloketuyi had earlier expressed excitement about Kwara’s role as host, promising a fulfilling experience for the expected 500 Nollywood stars attending.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had also highlighted the studio’s potential to elevate Nigerian cinematography and promote local talent. The event underscores Kwara’s commitment to becoming a leading destination in the creative industry, fostering growth and investment in the sector.