Garlands or evergreen actress Bukky Wright

It was the video of the veteran Juju musician King Sunny Ade performing one of his hit songs Ijo Ope that popular screen actress Oluwabukonola Ajakeade Wright aka Bukky Wright chose to celebrate her 54th birthday anniversary on Wednesday.

The actress took to her social media platforms early on Wednesday, launched the short video and followed it with this caption: “Happy birthday to me. I cannot but please Almighty Allah for His mercy. If you love me, e ba mi jijo ope’.”

The last part of Bukky’s post, which was in Yoruba was an invitation to her fans, colleagues, family and friends to join her in her dance of gratitude to God. And not only did they join in the dance of joy, messages of congratulations poured in for the ageless and timeless screen star, who is notable for possessing a good sense of character interpretation, exceptional acting skills and who acts with life and vigour.

The singer Nike Olaoye was among the first notable celebrities that hit the send button with a terse congratulatory message shortly after Auntie B, as younger colleagues simply call her, launched the birthday post.

Nike wrote: “Happy birthday ma. God bless you more as you add a new year today.” Sultry Actress Lillian Bach also made it to Bukky’s timeline, which recorded over a thousand comments few minutes after the post was shared. Bach who has been off the Nollywood radar for sometime now wrote: “Happy birthday dear. May your new year bring you abundant blessings.”

An actress of vast screen credits, Bukky was born and raised in Lagos. The pretty actress and mother had her first feel of the screen acting turf in Images, a one part movie as directed by Fidelis Duker, but she instantly became a household name after interpreting delightful the role of Suara’s meek wife in one of the early episodes of the now so popular television drama series Super Story. She followed it up with a performance in the Yoruba movie Itohan and much later she got a place, after a rigorous audition exercise to feature in one of Tunde Kelani’s early masterpieces Saworide.

Even Bukky admits that it was that outing that contributed in turning her acting fortunes around. She not only drew attention to her honest and concise handling of roles, she became an instant choice for producers who were in search of an actress who could interprete a role with precision and clarity of diction.

Today the Ogun state native whose early acting role models include the veteran actress of the Behind the Clouds fame Ene Oloja and John Collins gets the sort of adulation that she has herself found hard to believe. Nollywood audiences cheer when her name sprawls across the screen. She is today celebrated as Nigeria’s most enterprising actress and one of the most recognisable faces in Nollywood. Close watchers of the industry, including critics agree that Oluwabukonola Ajakeade Wright has continued to impress and has continued to remain on top of her game.

Unpretensiously friendly, simple and down to earth, Bukky who revealed that her parents did not object to her joining the acting turf, has featured in over 100 films and has also produced a couple of full length feature films but in Yoruba language. In her movie pouch are award winning movies like Itohan, Outkast, The Cartel, Agogo Eewo, Omo Olomo Owo Ale, 7’Oclock, Agbeeke and of course several episodes of the Super Story series by Wale Adenuga productions.

Admired for her sense of style and her ability to keep a trim shape, Bukky who has so far attained a height that has unofficially conferred on her the status of an acting auntie to a number of new entrants says she is desirous of establishing a structure that would prepare those wishing to join the turf for the challenges ahead. And for those interested in the acting vocation, Bukky says they must come in and hold on to that which they believe they have the talent to accomplish.

When Bukky is not acting, she engages in some buying and selling and also spends quality time too attending to her two children, all boys. She also engages in her other hobbies, which includes writing and listening to good music, when she finds time.

Asked to state her likes and dislikes and also her philosophy about life, Bukky says she prefers blunt folks to dishonest people while her philosophy about life revolves around two popular saying: “Be your own competition’ and ‘what goes around, comes around’. She said, “If you want to win a race, never mind the opposition because the moment you start minding oppositions, you are likely not to win a race. I usually tell young people not to aim at becoming a Bukky Wright because Bukky Wright would not sit at a spot and watch them run past her. Also, I believe that what goes around comes around.”

But will she chose acting again given another opportunity at life? “Yes, I would,” she declared and adds, “I have no regrets doing it at all. I am okay. It has really opened doors and its still opening a lot of doors. I always tell people that the sky is my beginning. I have a target for this industry. I won’t relent until I get to the target. So, I would do acting all over and over again. Cant quit my first love for anything.”