Nollywood actress, Taiwo Akinwande
popularly known as Yetunde Wunmi has
been a regular fixture in the Yoruba
film industry for many years displaying
exemplary acting talent and nurturing
others until six years ago when news
circulated that the pretty lady was
nabbed with hard drugs.
In this interview with Sun Newspapers,
Wunmi speaks about the drug incident,
her jail sentence, her regrets and the
future.
Read excerpts from the interview below:
In the ears of many a movie fan, the
name, Taiwo Akinwande would hardly ring
an immediate bell. But mention her stage
name, Yetunde Wunmi, and a lot of faces
would light-up instantly. In the Yoruba
film industry, Yetunde Wunmi has earned
a name for herself. For over three
decades, the pretty actress enjoyed
tremendous popularity. That was until
about six years ago when she was nabbed
with hard drugs at the airport on her
way to Europe. She was convicted and
sentenced to a two-year jail term which
she has served.
Getting her side of the sad experience
was very difficult. It was like engaging
a two-year-old kindergarten pupil in a
difficult mathematical question. In
this interview, Wunmi confessed that
the drug incident is her only regret in
life.
“That was the bitter pill that would
remain in my system for the rest of my
life, and it’s my only regret in life,”
she tells The Entertainer. Excerpts:
How I was arrested
It was on September 19, 2006. I was
billed to travel to the United Kingdom.
So I got to the airport early enough to
catch my plane. But then, I was arrested
by the National Drug Law Enforcement
Agency at the Murtala International
Airport in Lagos. I was arrested on drug
related offences. Initially, I thought I
was in a dream, but it later turned out
to be a reality. It was a sad experience
for me to remember because that event
almost cost me my life. I ended up
serving a two-year-jail term. Really, I
lost so many things to that incident.
And it did a lot of damage to my image
as an actress and even among my
colleagues in the industry. It’s my only
regret in life that I had to get
involved in drugs. But I thank God that
I came out of the mess after serving a
two-year jail term. I also thank God
that though the situation I found myself
was that bad, the news of my drug
offence wasn’t that of my obituary.
Truly, I have learnt my lessons the
hard way.
Lessons learnt
I have said it earlier that I have
learnt my lessons the hard way. I learnt
that nothing in life is permanent, that
there are no permanent friends and
enemies. During my travails, I learnt
lessons about the ups and downs of life.
For instance, a rich man today can
become poor tomorrow, and a poor man
today can become rich tomorrow. Even, I
learnt my lessons about death. That,
though life is good and worthy to live,
death remains the end of all souls. It’s
the end, no matter who you are. It was
really, a sad story to tell, but I thank
God I am still alive to tell the story.
What I lost
I lost almost everything. For instance,
I lost my privacy. I lost my popularity
that I have worked hard for, for about
three decades. I lost some of my close
friends and my relationship with many
people broke-up as a result of the sad
incident. Nobody would like to relate
with an ex-convict. But, honestly, some
of them showed great concern and
understanding. They saw my problem as a
phase in the course of my career and
life as well. They really gave me hope
that time heals all wounds and that
eventually came to pass.
I wouldn’t want to mention names, but
there were some of my colleagues that
despised me while so many others showed
great understanding. They showed me love
and concern. It was God that really
intervened and strengthened me after I
served my two-year jail term. So many
people treated my case as that of the
prodigal son. The Association of Nigeria
Theatre Practitioners (ANTP) actually
brought me back to life. They rekindled
my hope and my career was put back on
track. I was able to overcome the sad
experience through the unflinching
support of everybody that stood by me
during the trying period. It was
terrible indeed. But today, the rest is
history.
How I got back on my feet
It was the grace of God. Even at a
particular point in time, I became
confused. I didn’t know where to start
from, but God really used some people in
the entertainment industry to put my
career back on track. Since then, I have
been enjoying a breakthrough and I’m now
back on my feet.
The truth is that I didn’t allow my past
experience to weigh me down. I didn’t
allow it to disturb my future. But I was
able to cope during that period through
the grace of God. My humility also
played a very important role in getting
me back on track.
It was difficult for me to cope,
initially, but one virtue God gave me is
humility. And that helped me a lot. Even
before the sad incident, I was a very
humble person. For me, popularity didn’t
get to my head. I don’t brag about
anything, but I know quite well that my
humility actually helped me a lot during
the trying period. I was humble after my
humiliating experience, and I felt real
great remorse for what actually happened
to me. I regretted, and still regret
it. In the end, I saw it as my destiny
and the sad experience actually humbled
me in life.
A new life
With God, everything is possible. Since
the sad incident, I have started my life
anew. I have repented from all my
wrongdoings. I even went to Saudi Arabia
in 2011 to perform the Hajj and that
afforded me the opportunity of telling
Almighty Allah all of my earlier
trespasses. I confessed my sins in His
presence and I promised never to return
to such sins. Today, all that is now in
the past. Today, everything is new in my
life, and I’m always grateful to
Almighty Allah who actually preserved my
life during that trying period. Now, I’m
hopeful that God has answered my prayer
because since the time I came back from
Saudi Arabia, everything, I mean my
whole life, has become new and I’m back
on my feet with renewed hope and vigour.
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