Story from Saleh INUWA, Kano
Rukayya Dawayya is one of Kannywood’s richest actresses and also a pioneer member of the Industry, but this beautiful society lady from Katsina State had it rough when she joined the industry newly when her parents were living in Saudi Arabia.
READ ALSO: I am not getting married to Hamisu Iyantama – Kannywood actress, Rasheeda Adamu Abdullahi
With time, she became so rich through dedication and hard work and established her own company, Dawayya Multimedia, through which she sponsored many successful films and today, she is one of the frontline stakeholders in Kannywood.
In 2016, she got married to an Abuja- based land speculator Alhaji Adamu Teku, but the marriage later crashed after having a beautiful baby boy who she named Arafat because she gave birth to him in the Holy land on Arafat day. Now she is back to Kano, joining politics and making movies.
EXCERPTS OF THE INTERVIEW
Neptune Prime: Rukayya, there are some of your fans that don’t know your full name and state of origin, can you tell us please, who you are?
Dawayya: Rukayya Santa Umar is my full name and I got the name “Dawayya” from a film I featured in alongside Musbahu Ahmad, by then we were in a serious relationship, we even discussed how to settle down as husband and wife but as God may have it, this did not happen.
NP: How about your tribe and state of Origin:
Dawayya: Well, I am Fulani from Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State. My Mother is Shuwa from Borno State and I was born and brought up in Kano but at a point, was staying in Saudi Arabia with my parents before I relocated to Kano to pursue a career in Kannywood.
NP: Though you were successful, we were told that you had a rough beginning?
Dawayya: This is very true, when I came into Nigeria from the Holy Land to start acting in Kannywood, I had a very rough time because every dick and harry producer that wanted me to feature in his film had one thing or the other in mind. That is why, when I made my money through businesses here and there, I set up “Dawayya Multi-media” so that I can be my own boss. Today, I have no regrets over what I have passed through because it has paid off in some ways.
NP: What is the latest about your marriage?
Dawayya: When my wedding ceremony took place at Grand Hotel, Kano, formerly Central Hotel, you happened to be there and you saw how glamorous it was; almost all stakeholders in Kannywood were there. I moved to Abuja with my husband in a chartered aircraft. So, the fact that the marriage crashed does not mean that is the end of life, in fact, it is one issue I don’t want to talk about.
NP: Why?
Dawayya: I did all I could for my marriage to succeed but my former husband, whom I learnt late had married 23 other wives before, made things difficult for me, as such, the marriage had to break up. Thank God I have a beautiful son out of the marriage- I named him “Arafat,” since I gave birth to him on Arafat day in Saudi Arabia.
NP: These days, you are always in Jigawa State, is the next wedding bell going to ring from Jigawa?
Dawayya: No, I am very close to the Governor there, so I assist his government a lot to mobilise women and handle other issues for him. In 2023, Insha Allah, I will go back to my state, Katsina, and contest for elective office, I have experience in politics over the years and it will definitely help me. I also pray that the insecurity Nigeria is now facing including political instability will be over very soon.
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
