Popular Nollywood actress, Stella Damasus, has unveiled a surprising piece of her family history, revealing that their surname was originally “Ojukwu” before the Nigerian Civil War.
She shared this intriguing detail during an engaging interview with renowned media personality, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu.
Addressing the common misconceptions about her name, “Damasus,” Stella explained that her grandfather’s surname, “Ojukwu,” was altered during the war to protect the family from being targeted.
The name’s connection to the late Biafran war general, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, made her family a potential target in the conflict.
Ebuka, reflecting on the revelation, remarked, “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 candidly: “Damasus is my grandfather’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.”