- Nollywood actress Eniola Ajao has shared the challenges she faced after becoming pregnant at the age of 20.
- The actress revealed that she concealed her pregnancy due to societal expectations.
- In an interview on the Talk To B podcast, the filmmaker shared how she avoids being labeled as a “baby mama”.
Popular Nollywood actress and filmmaker Eniola Ajao has candidly shared the emotional and societal challenges she faced after becoming pregnant at the age of 20.
In a heartfelt conversation on the Talk To B podcast, Eniola revealed that she chose to hide her pregnancy at the time due to societal expectations and fear of being judged.
“You know things aren’t what they used to be at that time. Getting pregnant at the age of 20 was a bit dramatic, because you just feel like the world is coming against you. You might probably want to die at a point, and you wouldn’t be able to get married again because of the stigma.
“You would want to hide it from your parents and the public because it was considered a thing of shame at that time. Not that it was a thing of shame for me, but it was considered to be early.”
“Omotola got married at 18, lot of people married at 17, but where I come from, they want you to graduate, and do a couple of things. I was already in Yabatech when I got pregnant. I was hiding it. It’s just close friends and family members knew about it. Thinking that you may not get married, somebody calling you a baby mama, and you don’t want to get stigmatized”.
Despite the pressure, Eniola clarified that she never saw her pregnancy as shameful. However, she acknowledged how societal views at the time made her feel isolated and anxious about her future.
According to Gistlover, the actress, who is currently 44 years old, welcomed her son in May 2002.
Her story resonated with many listeners, especially women who have faced similar challenges navigating motherhood at a young age under judgmental cultural expectations.
