When the ovation was loud for Azeezat Sadiq, who won the maiden edition of Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) in 2005, she left the country. She did projects with BBC and M-Net before she left but that was all.
Sadiq, in an encounter with our correspondent, said that she left Nigeria for the United Kingdom for eight years to improve herself. According to her, she didn’t think of how her exit from the scene could affect her career at a time she made the decision.
She explained, “At that point, I did not think of it affecting my career. I was just thinking of horning my skills to get more knowledge. I wanted to expand my horizon and I was young too. When I got the opportunity to go abroad and study, I felt it was the best decision.
“If you have the talent, the skill, it is your calling and you believe in yourself, you will always find a way to get back into what God has planned for you. You can always impact people wherever you are.”
The indigene of Kogi admitted that it is possible she would have been bigger if she had stayed in Nigeria. But she also stated that all she has passed through in life is a journey and learning curve.
“Probably I am not where I should have been, but I am happy with the process because I learnt more about myself. For me, it was a learning process. I went there, I studied and I grew up. It probably wouldn’t have happened here in Nigeria. There were also personal
things I was going through that I needed to get away from at that point,” she recalled.
For Sadiq, who has lost her parents, she brings more than acting skills to the industry and that stands her out. She said she brings back her skills as a producer and a lot more to the movie industry She added, “I have learnt more as an actress. I think I learnt more on the job than a formal setting. I have seen how everything is done. I engage more with the producers and directors. And I like to grow; I don’t like to limit myself.”
