Stella Damasus, one of Nollywood’s beloved actresses, has let slip a startling family history that her surname wasn’t always Damasus.
Before the Nigerian Civil War, the family name was Ojukwu.
The actress made this revelation in a sit-down with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu.
Reacting to the widespread confusion about her last name, Stella recalled her family’s name was changed during the heat of the war, a calculated move to shield them from harm in Asaba, where the name Ojukwu carried weight and danger.
Ebuka reacted, saying “It was interesting that so many people didn’t even understand that your surname was not what it was. So many people were shocked at the revelation, are you as shocked as a lot of people were?”
Stella responded, “Damasus is my granddaughter’s first name. It’s a Greek name. My original surname was Ojukwu but that changed during the Biafran war when my people were attacked in Asaba because they thought it was the same Ojukwu. I was born into Damasus, and when I asked why, that was the reason they gave me.”
