THE first time the writer of this piece
met her was at a dance rehearsal in a
hotel in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
She was running in a trio then that
comprised of Nollywood stars Rita
Dominic and Thelma Okoduwa. They were
preparing for a show they wanted to host
at the PIN PLACE. The hottest show venue
in the garden city then. I found it
challenging that the young women who
were undergraduates could secure such a
venue and where planning such a massive
show. The show finally held and was a
resounding success.
Back then Rita Dominic I knew well,
Thelma Okoduwa I considered conceited
but Monalisa had something different
about her. She has an enigmatic smile
that refused to allow anybody into the
deep recesses of her mind and life. She
looked focused like a girl who knew
where she was headed but would not allow
anybody into her private space. Sadly
that relationship with her friends hit
the rocks when Rita claimed that
Monalisa snatched an expatriate she was
dating, a relationship that resulted in
an upscale apartment for Monalisa and a
car to cruise the streets.
That was a few years back. Monalisa
quashed the relationship, got born
again, left Port Harcourt to court
stardom like her friends in Lagos and if
we are to judge rightly, we can say that
the girl from Ikwerre Rivers State, who
bears the name of the most famous
painting in the world Monalisa, has
finally arrived. Her road to stardom
kicked off when she started appearing in
the still running television soap
HEAVENS GATE. It threw her into the
public glare and everybody agreed that
it was only but a matter of time before
she would be the next big item in
NOLLYWOOD.
