‘I donated my kidney to my brother, I can donate my heart to my wife’ - Obi Emelonye

Love, they say, is  blind, and lovers cannot see. This saying rightly fits into the kind of love that is currently existing between the award-winning Nollywood producer, Obi Emelonye and his wife, Amaka.

The couple has been married for eleven years now, yet they are still feeling as if they got married only yestreday.

Emelonye, in a recent encounter with HVP, revealed that apart from his maker, his wife is the greatest gift he has in life.

“I will do anything for her. I have donated one of my kidneys to my younger brother. If she needs my heart, I will bring it out and give it to her. That’s the extent I can go for her in marriage,” Emelonye enthused.

Narrating how he met his wife, the producer of the award-winning movies, Last Flight to Abuja and Mirror Boy, said he met his wife on the set of Fire Dancer, a film shot by Tchidi Chikere of which he was the director of photography in 2001. “She starred in the film alongside Genevieve Nnaji, Chidi Mokeme, Zack Orji, among others. One thing led to another, and after one year, she joined me in London. Since then, we have been living happily as husband and wife.

Even though many people do not believe in love at first sight, Emelonye said his was a case of love at first sight.

According to him, “ I was driving into the compound where we were shooting a film. When I sighted her, I told Chidi Chikere who was sitting next to me that “This is my wife.” He asked me if I had met her before now. I replied him on the contrary, insisting that she’s going to be my wife. I didn’t just feel her love in my spirit, I voiced it out. Chidi is a living witness to that instant feeling of love for her.”

What attracted him to her, you may want to ask.“I don’t know, but naturally, she’s a very beautiful woman. That’s one of the attractions. But there was a connection in the spirit. Sometimes, some pastors say that they were given a ministry. So, when you see your ministry, you will recognise it. You don’t need a second invitation. The moment I saw her, I knew   she was going to be my wife. I was certain about it and that was the best decision I have ever taken in my life,” he replies.

On proposing to his wife, Emelonye said, “It wasn’t going to be a marriage proposal at that very beginning. At that time, communication was a big problem. She didn’t have her freedom because she was staying with her aunty. There were no mobile phones at that time.So, it was challenging to build a relationship from a distance. But with God on our side, we were able to surmount all those hurdles because in a way, it was meant to be.”

After eleven years of being together, Emelonye describes his “marriage as one of blissful,” adding, “My wife is one of the most supportive human beings alive.”

Also, “She’s my biggest fan, and we are blessed with three loving kids; two boys and one girl. At the moment, we live a very happy and contented life in London. But above all, we are surmounting every challenge in front of us, and getting better and growing stronger in the Lord.”

Meanwhile, talking about what he doesn’t like about his wife, the celebrated filmmaker said the only thing he doesn’t like about her is she is madly in love with him. “She loves me too much. It’s not always a good thing to love someone uncontrollably,” he said.

On the contrary, he says his wife complains bitterely that he devotes most of his time to his work than his family. “I think she complains that I devote too much time to my work. But it’s a path I have chosen to follow in life, and something I was doing before she met me.

Emelonye’s wife is not an actress. But according to him, she writes scripts occasionally.

 People do a lot of things for love. Can you donate your heart to your partner or wife?