Winifred Ugwu-Iwunze, a famous actress who was popular in the 1990s and starred in early movies like “Aki na Ukwu,” “Lost to Lust,” and “Last Party,” as well as the sitcom “Heaven’s Gate,” has come back to acting after being off the screen for a while.
According to Saturday Vanguard, Winifred was one of the best actresses in Nollywood, and her arrival brought some new life to the industry. The applause was the strongest, but Winifred left, leaving behind memories of her great performances. She felt a higher calling and stopped acting to follow God.
“God told me to stop and follow Him,” she remembers.
“I didn’t want to at first, but the situation made me give in.”
Today, Winifred is the pastor of Zion Gate Bible Church, where she works on community service projects including a food bank. She is coming back to Nollywood to make movies that change people’s lives.
“I want to go back to Nollywood and make movies that change people’s lives, inspire them, and teach them,” she says. Winifred says that the profession has changed, with narratives that are easy to guess and a lack of talents.
“We can improve our storylines and training centers by focusing on skills.”
She had to find a way out for her family because she grew up in a poor area. Winifred came to Lagos in 1998 with a cousin’s help and went to Winis Hotel, where she met people in the industry. On her first day, she got a part in “The Last Party” with some well-known actors, which changed everything.
Even though she had a hard time at first, Winifred kept going and earned success with “Heaven’s Gate” and “Lost to Lust.” Her path shows how strong and faithful she is. She wants to make a difference and has a sense of purpose as she starts this new chapter.
Why I went to Nollywood
People often ask me how I got into Nollywood. To be honest, it was hunger. I wasn’t motivated by enthusiasm; I was motivated by need.
As the first daughter in a poor household, I had to find a method to help my family. I told my mom in 1998 that I was going from Kaduna to Lagos to work in the movie business. She was anxious and asked what I would do in a city where I didn’t know anyone. But I had read that performers were meeting in the Winis Hotel in Kilo at that time, so I was keen to find them.
A cousin gave me a contact in Lagos, and I went to the Winis Hotel. That’s where my journey in Nollywood started.
The first day I worked at Winis Hotel
The first day I stayed at Winis Hotel changed everything. I found the set of “The Last Party,” which was made by Ikenna Udeogu and stars the late St. Obi, Steph Nora-Okere, and Genevieve Nnaji. I went up to St. Obi, talked to him in Hausa, and he told me not to tell anyone I was new to Lagos or they would take advantage of me.
After that, I met the producer, who gave me the part of the senator’s wife. I was scared because I’d never acted before, but I knew this was my chance to shine. I spent 24 hours shooting my sequence, not because I couldn’t remember my lines, but because I was nervous and starstruck.
But something changed—the anxiety turned into a need to survive. It was on, and I was ready to face the task.
How I got my start in Nollywood
Praying has been everything for me. So, I recognized that I came from a family that fights. So I have to battle and win. I was raised to be quite good at praying.
I remember that Monalisa Chinda used to pray with me at my house back then. We would embark on three-day dry fasts in the hopes of making progress in our acting careers.
I started appearing in the TV show “Heaven’s Gate,” which was made by Zik Zulu Okafor.
In fact, one of my biggest successes in Nollywood was playing a role in “Heaven’s Gate.” I was on TV every Sunday, which helped me get additional acting jobs.
Another big moment in my career was when I starred in the Nek Movies movie “Lost to Lust” with Monalisa Chinda, Yemi Blaq, and Mercy Johnson-Okojie. Everyone thought the movie would be my big break after I acted in it.
And just as I had predicted, I had roughly 16 scripts on my desk two weeks after the movie’s trailer came out.
That was around the same time God told me to stop and follow Him. I adore acting and was trying to resist the urge. I mentioned certain actors who are ministers of God but still find time to be on screen. But God kept telling me that my job was not the same as theirs. I didn’t want to stop acting, but I knew that God was calling me to be a prophet. It’s not hard at all if you work as a pastor or evangelist. You could do all of that.
But if you are called to be a prophet, it means that you need to be very holy and clean. I adore God so much that I want to play games with Him. But I didn’t want to give up that portion of my life because my dad is a pastor and we’re still very poor. I knew I was already in the ministry, yet it wasn’t easy for me to give it up. But in the end, I had to give in to the call. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. It is the best choice I have made in my life today.
Consequences of defying God’s summons
It may seem religious, but it’s true. God assured me that if I didn’t answer the call, He would bring me home. And I didn’t want to die. I talked to my spouse about it, and he said I shouldn’t stop acting or at least do both. But I was scared of dying, so I stopped acting to help people find God. One day, when I was still thinking about what to do, I turned up on the set of “Heaven’s Gate.” We were praying to God for conception at this time. We had been married for more than five years, and I had never become pregnant. That year, I got pregnant with my kid.
They were filming “Heaven’s Gate,” and they had no idea I was pregnant. When I got to the set, Adiba was unmarried, but I was already seven months pregnant. So, the producer, Zik Zulu Okafor, responded, “But Adiba wasn’t pregnant,” and congratulated him. I grinned and said it was time. Just get another actor to play my part. He wouldn’t let me take the part until I had my baby. But I stuck to my guns, and that was that.
After she stopped acting
I was just waiting on the Lord one day when He came to me and said, “I want you to make movies.” I said no to the request. He told me what kinds of movies He wanted me to make. At that moment, I went back to Nollywood and made several short films that I posted on social media. The films didn’t do well in terms of sales. But this time I want to go back to Nollywood and make movies that change people’s lives, inspire them, and teach them something.
What has changed in Nollywood since I stopped acting?
The plot had changed a lot. In the past, the stories weren’t always predictable, but now even your baby can guess what will happen next. I believe we can improve our narratives.
Second, there are a lot of people in the industry that don’t have any expertise. The industry could improve by establishing training centers that emphasize skill development rather than solely certification attainment. I believe it’s about skills.
These are two big problems with today’s Nollywood. One of the things we worked on while I was acting was talents.
My church
I am presently the pastor of Zion Gate Bible Church, which has its main office in Lagos and a branch in the UK. We conduct a lot of community service in addition to proclaiming the gospel. We just made a deal with a group called Fresh Air to make sure that everyone in the country enjoys free food. We either go to the food bank to get food or they bring it to us. To make sure that people aren’t living on the streets because they don’t have any food.
We came up with the idea for this project in Nigeria. Before we established our permanent church there, we used to have it in Ikorodu. I realized that one of the things God wanted me to accomplish was to pay attention to those who are on the floor and figure out how to persuade them to stand. That’s what I’ve been focusing on.
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