Tonye and Rosemary Princewill felicitate with their 'muse' Stephanie Okereke at her nuptials in France

The happy Couple flanked by TP and Rosemary

All’s well that ends well the popular adage goes and for certain it sure ended well for our girl, fellow malabite and Elsalite Stephanie Okereke after all the drama (nothing to do with her blazing acting career mind you); that trailed this past few years. Undoubtedly a fighter with the sheer doggedness that is the Malabo Spirit flowing through her, Stephanie has overcome quite a few challenges to emerge one of the most sought after exports from Nigeria in her sphere of influence. It's no surpise therefore that her ceremony looked like something straight out of a fairy tale. Looking every inch the superstar in her beautiful wedding gown, Stephanie exuded an air of sophistry and class that has always been uniquely hers in this fast paced industry. And I dare say that the Paris affair was certainly in a class of its own as this first Nigerian actress to star in a foreign feature film scored yet another first with her totally 'Effizicious' wedding ceremony that saw the likes of former Screen icon turned Evangelist Liz Benson in attendance.

Granted the ceremony was a celebrity studded affair with the crème de la creme of Nollywood, Past and Present in attendance; but the day was made all the more special for Stephanie by the presence of Prince Tonye Princewill and his charming wife Rosemary, who had honoured the invitation of one they considered a dear friend and a muse of sorts, following her inspiring headlining performance in the Adonijah Iworiwa blockbuster NNenda, a superlative commentary on the travails of growing up an orphan in the society. A performance that made a lasting impression on the Princewill family and has begun to yield tangible results that include The  Melody Shelters Initiative, that caters for the overall well being of Orphans through creating an enabling environment for them to be nurtured to their full potential.

Looking at the beautiful wedding pictures on Linda Ikeji's blog, a smile crossed my lips when I saw that of TP as Princewill is fondly called and his wife Rosemary. I smiled because I remembered. 

I remembered the day TP made a commitment to dedicate time and funds to championing the course of orphans in the society after watching the movie that also starred Ramsey Noah.  In a very uncharacteristic TPish move, he chose to fly below the radar with this, choosing instead to do his best with his network of associates to provide an anabling environment for various homes in and around the City of PH.  It therefore came as a surprise to many when on the 13^th of April 2012 The Melody shelters Talent Show for Orphanages in Nigeria tagged “leaving no one behind” Executive Produced by TP and Iworiwa’s Adonis Productions debuted on prime Time STV and CTL at 5.30pm on Saturdays and at 5pm on Sundays.

I smiled, because whist many have applauded this noble venture of TP, some have dubbed it a political stunt, but very few are as privileged as I was having once worked closely with TP to know firsthand that this talent show has actually been over three years in the making following NNenda and looking back and with the benefit of hindsight, I realise just how much an impact the events of that day had on TP. I recall that one of the highlights at the event was a special musical performance by the residents of a Port Harcourt based orphanage; at the end of which the hall erupted in tumultuos applause and surprisingly TP who was seating just two seats from me with Chief Eze in-between, had tears streaming down his face and seemed to be sobbing.  I remember Eze quietly passing him a hanky which he took and lifted up to quickly wipe his face before the house lights came on. At the end of the movie screening the usually upbeat TP was sober. I guessed the highly charged emotional day had taken its toll on him, because earlier in the day Iworiwa had taken the group for a breakfast meeting at the same orphanage and TP had his first ”sob session” that the Press later had a field day writing about following a press release from Eze's Augean stable. I guess that’s TP for you; because even back then his love for the arts and penchant for patronising the entertainment industry was misinterpreted and such actions were to some a political stunt. Thankfully, we have the benefit of the history of 2011 to show that he had no such agenda and was just simply being the quintessential TP.

As a matter of fact, the Talent Show is just one of the many programmes TP has decided to undertake under the auspices of The Melody Shelters Initiative for Orphans that was birthed in the week following the movie premiere. The MSI also offers; Scholarships; reintegration for 18plus residents, mentoring and vocational training. TP serves as Patron and his wife was inducted as Matron in a well attended ceremony last year in Lagos.

It was therefore appropriate for TP and Rosemary to share this happy moment with their 'muse' Stephanie, the Lady whose performance in 2009 ignited the spark that has snowballed into something that affords the Princewills the opportunity to reach beyond themselves and embrace the knowledge that each man is a made a blessing to be a blessing to others.

Here is wishing Ms Okereke the very best of life as she begins this new phase with her heartthrob Prince Linus Idahosa.

OSA