A Cross River State-born actress, 33-year-old Joy Udok, is a dwarf whose height is just two-feet. She told JOHNSON BABAJIDE that her stature has not deterred men from making amorous advances at her. She also spoke of her dream of becoming a legal luminary.
According to the holy books, after God created everything under the sun, including humans, the peak of His creation, He saw that it was good. But human beings come in different sizes, height and shapes.
A lady, 33-year-old Joy Udok, despite her extremely short stature, says “I’m proud of my stature; it is God who created me this way, and I have no regret at all. Or who can question God? He does things the way He wants, and this is how I am created. May His name be praised.”
Miss Udok is so short she could be mistaken for a five-year-old child. Everywhere she goes, stares from the young and old, from the lowly and highly placed, are riveted towards her.
Saturday Tribune ran into her around the Government House in Makurdi, where she had come to honour the invitation of the governor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam; though for three days she could not see the governor, who she said gave her the invitation at a reception held in a village in the state, where her theatre group, Igboji Theatre Group, had performed and entertained guests.
“It was at a function in one of the villages here where our group performed that I met the governor,” she said.
“He must have enjoyed your dance steps,” Saturday Tribune asked.
“I don’t know; but you know I am a good dancer. Everybody loves my dance. Maybe that was what attracted him (governor) just to appreciate it,” she quipped.
“He called me (and I even sat on the same seat with him) and said that he would be travelling the following week, but that I should come to the gate of the Government House here and tell the security people that he asked me to see him. But since I have been coming, I have not been allowed to see him,” Miss Udok said.
Udok said her stature did not in any way affect her relationship with men, stressing that she had been involved in relationships with opposite sex on two occasions but had burnt her fingers. Because of her experience, she said she had to distance herself from men.
“Despite my size, men run after me. I have been involved in relationship on two occasions, but none of them is reliable. Men are cheats and betrayers.
“In Makurdi here, I had a lover who was younger than I. I showered him with love but what I got in return was betrayal. He professed to love me but I caught him with ladies many times. Apart from that, he drinks a lot and smokes, so I had to call it quit,” she said.
When asked whether the bitter experience would stop her from getting married in future, she said: “If I see the right man, I will surely get married, but I see men as cheats and betrayers.”
What kind of man would she like? Miss Udok said “I want a man who will love me for what I am, and must be trustworthy.”
A native of Aboki in Cross River State, Joy Udok is the fifth of six children born to Mr Daniel Ayim Udok and Mrs Stella Udok. She attended St Unoh Nursery and Primary School and the Government Technical College – both in Aboki.
She hopes to become a lawyer someday, “but there is no money for me to further my education, so I decided to come to Benue State to look for how to make a living on my own.
“On my arrival, I lodged in a hotel until I met a female friend who accommodated me. From there, I joined the Igboji Theater group. We dance and perform stage plays.”
According to her, the group has produced a home video entitled The Big Lady in Town, which will soon be released.
But life has not been easy, she said. “What we get from the group is nothing to write home about; Sometimes, we get as little as N800, which does not even come often.
So, how does she augment the little she gets to make ends meet? Miss Udok told Saturday Tribune that she relied on the goodwill of people who, either out of pity or admiration, gave her tokens, “and life goes on,” she added.
She told the Saturday Tribune that if she eventually succeeded in meeting the governor, she would request for a job so that she could further her education.
Having been in Benue State for two years, Joy Udok said: “The people here are very hospitable. They are good, particularly to visitors, and I hope I will remain in the state for long.”
According to the holy books, after God created everything under the sun, including humans, the peak of His creation, He saw that it was good. But human beings come in different sizes, height and shapes.
A lady, 33-year-old Joy Udok, despite her extremely short stature, says “I’m proud of my stature; it is God who created me this way, and I have no regret at all. Or who can question God? He does things the way He wants, and this is how I am created. May His name be praised.”
Miss Udok is so short she could be mistaken for a five-year-old child. Everywhere she goes, stares from the young and old, from the lowly and highly placed, are riveted towards her.
Saturday Tribune ran into her around the Government House in Makurdi, where she had come to honour the invitation of the governor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam; though for three days she could not see the governor, who she said gave her the invitation at a reception held in a village in the state, where her theatre group, Igboji Theatre Group, had performed and entertained guests.
“It was at a function in one of the villages here where our group performed that I met the governor,” she said.
“He must have enjoyed your dance steps,” Saturday Tribune asked.
“I don’t know; but you know I am a good dancer. Everybody loves my dance. Maybe that was what attracted him (governor) just to appreciate it,” she quipped.
“He called me (and I even sat on the same seat with him) and said that he would be travelling the following week, but that I should come to the gate of the Government House here and tell the security people that he asked me to see him. But since I have been coming, I have not been allowed to see him,” Miss Udok said.
Udok said her stature did not in any way affect her relationship with men, stressing that she had been involved in relationships with opposite sex on two occasions but had burnt her fingers. Because of her experience, she said she had to distance herself from men.
“Despite my size, men run after me. I have been involved in relationship on two occasions, but none of them is reliable. Men are cheats and betrayers.
“In Makurdi here, I had a lover who was younger than I. I showered him with love but what I got in return was betrayal. He professed to love me but I caught him with ladies many times. Apart from that, he drinks a lot and smokes, so I had to call it quit,” she said.
When asked whether the bitter experience would stop her from getting married in future, she said: “If I see the right man, I will surely get married, but I see men as cheats and betrayers.”
What kind of man would she like? Miss Udok said “I want a man who will love me for what I am, and must be trustworthy.”
A native of Aboki in Cross River State, Joy Udok is the fifth of six children born to Mr Daniel Ayim Udok and Mrs Stella Udok. She attended St Unoh Nursery and Primary School and the Government Technical College – both in Aboki.
She hopes to become a lawyer someday, “but there is no money for me to further my education, so I decided to come to Benue State to look for how to make a living on my own.
“On my arrival, I lodged in a hotel until I met a female friend who accommodated me. From there, I joined the Igboji Theater group. We dance and perform stage plays.”
According to her, the group has produced a home video entitled The Big Lady in Town, which will soon be released.
But life has not been easy, she said. “What we get from the group is nothing to write home about; Sometimes, we get as little as N800, which does not even come often.
So, how does she augment the little she gets to make ends meet? Miss Udok told Saturday Tribune that she relied on the goodwill of people who, either out of pity or admiration, gave her tokens, “and life goes on,” she added.
She told the Saturday Tribune that if she eventually succeeded in meeting the governor, she would request for a job so that she could further her education.
Having been in Benue State for two years, Joy Udok said: “The people here are very hospitable. They are good, particularly to visitors, and I hope I will remain in the state for long.”
No comments:
Post a Comment