Laide Bakare has sparked a significant conversation by encouraging career-oriented women to prioritize having children over getting married. Speaking in a recent interview on Nollywood On Radio, the actress shared her personal perspective on achieving long-term success, urging women to focus on starting a family early in their lives, rather than placing marriage at the forefront of their aspirations.
Bakare, who has had a notable career in Nollywood, expressed that marriage should not be seen as a requirement for starting a family. “If you are aspiring to be a successful superstar as a young girl, I would advise you to get married and have kids early so that you can have the rest of your years to push your career because the family area is very important,” she explained. She emphasized that the balance between personal and professional success can be achieved when a woman starts a family earlier in life.
However, Bakare clarified that she did not mean to advocate for early marriages specifically, but rather for starting a family. “I know getting married early may lead to divorce, but I mean starting a family early. Maybe I should retract that because I do not mean marriage. I never thought of marriage when I had my first child, I just wanted a baby,” she added, explaining that her own motivations were driven by a desire to be a mother rather than to tie the knot.
This statement comes from Bakare’s own experience, having been a mother twice. At the age of 43, she is a mother to three children. Bakare was first married to Olumide Kunfulire, with whom she welcomed her daughter, Simi, in 2008. She later entered into a second marriage with Tunde Oriowo, a Lagos-based socialite, with whom she has two sons. Despite her marriages, she believes her advice is rooted in her experiences balancing career and motherhood, emphasizing the importance of family.