Our 2020 regrets, 2021 resolutions —Nollywood stars speak

This time last year – 2020, everyone entered the New Year with raised hopes as we saw New Year resolutions upon New Year resolutions fall in. However, unknown to many, 2020 was not a year you plan for, but a year you just take whatever it gave to you.

From the first wave of the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic to the EndSARS protests, last year seemed like it had just five productive months in it – January, February, March, November and December.

As we enter into 2021 with the second wave of the pandemic still raging, some selected Nollywood stars, hoping to have a better New Year, have revealed to Saturday Tribune Entertainment, their 2020 regrets and New Year resolutionons.

COVID-19 still with us, the struggle continues – Adewale Elesho 2020 was so callednging, we can only pray to God to take away the scourge called COVID-19, because it is still very much with us as we enter the New Year. So my new year resolution is to keep moving, the struggle continues.

Another thing is the inauguration ceremony for the new executive members of Association of Nigerian Theater Practitioners (ANTP) which was put on hold last year due to the pandemic; we will have it this year by God’s grace by March. Then, our Royal Adviser in ANTP, His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi during our last meeting with him, just as we congratulated him on the arrival of his new prince, advised that we produce movies that will promote the Yoruba language and culture more this year.

That we will also do this year.I plan to spend less this year – Rose OdikaFor 2020, let us just thank God for life. It was a year that everyone just needed to accept whatever happened. It was a peculiar year. I used to tell people that 2020 was a year you don’t expect to get all that you wanted but a year to appreciate all that you had, because a lot of people had a lot of plans from January, but unfortunately towards the end of last year, they couldn’t achieve 80 percent of what they had planned. For the regrets, I would say, there was not much to do, but still, we thank God for life.

My New Year resolution is to spend less because, of course, what we are bringing from 2020, a little bit is going to spill into 2021. So for the first two months, I plan to spend less, I plan to be more organized and spend my time in a more profitable way.I pray for a better Nigeria come 2021 – Rotimi SalamiI do not seem to have a major regret in 2020 despite the whole hard time for Nigerians and the world as a whole. Rather, I feel sad about the lost lives during the protest that happened this year, I feel sad about the lost lives during the regular life’s protest, and I mean human’s struggle generally.

A lot of Nigerians struggle everyday and I pray for a better Nigeria in 2021. My New Year resolution is, I am going to push harder in terms of breaking bounds, releasing my projects, shooting my cinema project and blessing lives via that project as well. Above all, I intend pushing hard this year.In 2021, I want to stop being nice – Allwell AdemolaI do not have any regret for 2020, but for my New Year resolutions, I want to stop being nice. I have been too nice and maybe this year, if I can stop being nice, I will. That is if I can, because I have a large heart just like my size.

I also want to love God more, you see now, there is no how I can love God more and I can stop being nice. God has been faithful to me even in my unfaithfulness. So, basically 2020 has taught me to love God more. I also plan to drop my cinema movie this year, drop my music album too and this year I will be signed to Spaghetti Records this year too.I have got zero regrets – Opeyemi AiyeolaFor 2020, I’ve got no regrets whatsoever. I am just grateful for life, for every member of my household. I am grateful for his mercy, love and divine health, I have got zero regrets. Rather, I appreciate God more than ever in my life.

My resolutions for the New Year is to move on, to appreciate every minute, hour every day, appreciate family members while they are still alive. 2021 is all about me being grateful to God who is a positive part of my life. Anyone who loves me genuinely, I love. 2020 has taught me that life is short and it is not about acquiring wealth, so many people have acquired wealth and unfortunately in this pandemic, their lives have been cut short unexpectedly. So, I am just grateful, I want to build more and better relationship with my maker.I want to hang out more this year – Broda ShaggiMy regret for 2020 was me planning my show and movies and couldn’t do them because of COVID-19. I actually put a lot into them but I couldn’t actualize it.

My New Year resolutions, I found out that I am an introvert, I don’t like going out. This year, I want to go out more, I want to meet people more, I want to hang out more this year. Last year was just about me, I was being selfish.I pray for a better me this year – Kunle AfodOne of my major regrets this year was that I could not travel out. The week I ought to travel was the week they announced lockdown in Nigeria. I could not travel till my visa expired, that was my major regret because I normally love traveling once every year and the only visa I had, I couldn’t travel with it.

Another one is that, after the ease of the lockdown, getting close to my birthday, I was happy I was going to celebrate in a grand style just because God had saved our lives over the years. That week was the week unknown soldiers killed protesters in Lagos, so my birthday was also cancelled. For 2021, I pray for a better Kunle Afod, we will push the game harder and we pray that God in his infinite mercy will shine His mercy on us and eradicate every hindrance on our way.I will trust people more this year – Jude ChukwukaMy biggest regret in 2020 is that, I just realised I trusted somebody too much and he disappointed me massively.

My Resolution for 2021 is that, because somebody messed up my year doesn’t mean I should stop trusting, I will trust people more. It will get to a point where you definitely have to trust people.

No more procrastination in 2021 – Laide BakareI honestly do not have any regrets in 2020; rather I am so thankful for God’s favours and mercies over me. My New Year resolution is to make sure I commence on every project that I have for so long been procrastinating Diversification is key for me this year – Damola OlatunjiActually, I have no regrets in 2020 because we all know how last year was so challenging for the whole world. So I can only thank God for keeping me, my friends my family and my people safe. I actually learnt from 2021. 2020 taught me that diversification is key such that when one has challenges, one can easily move to the other.

So, part of my New Year resolutions is diversification and to improve on what I am doing so I can do better.We can only pray for sound health – Lekan OlatunjiWell, my regrets in 2020 are just the fact that, number one, I couldn’t record more movies because of the pandemic and another thing is that, immediately after COVID-19, all the projects piled up and we now had issues in executing them.

For my New Year resolutions, I can only pray for good health because we never can tell what the New Year has in stock for us. There are several plans but I can only say my New Year resolution is to have sound health.I want to step up my game this year – Owolabi AjasaMy regrets in 2020 are not much, but the issue of COVID-19 really gave us all in the industry a major setback. For 2021, I plan to improve on my productions, to step up my game and my stories.

Also, as the governor of Theater Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners in Ogun State, I am working towards the welfare of members and make sure they are well behaved.I want to live a worry-free life in 2021 – Peter IjagbemiMy regret for 2020 was that it was worry-filled, I was living a life of worry, I worried over everything, and I had these anxiety and tension.

Thank God, towards the end of this year, I was able to discover that a worry-free life is the answer to everything. So I have been living a worry-free life God has been faithful, because whether you worry or not, what will be will be. So, my New Year resolution is to live a worry-free life. I don’t want to worry or be tensed over anything.