In this interview with ALIYU ASKIRA, Zulaihat Ibrahim also known as Zeepreety, says it didn’t take her time to hit the ground running in Kannywood because of her creative acting skills and stylish dancing steps.
The Kebbi state-born beauty also discloses that she desperately wants to get married.
It has been quite a while since we have been trying to get you on the phone but without success; also, your comedy programmes that usually appeared on social media have been conspicuously missing. What actually happened?
It is true; I have been at home – meaning I have been in Zuru for a very long time, not even in Zuru, but in my village where I was born which is, however, in Zuru local government area. I also deliberately cut off all communications with my friends and colleagues in Kannywood.
It was when you did a comedy programme on the controversial coronavirus which was given wider space on social media that we noticed somewhere along the line that you were back in the industry. Tell us more about your disappearance.
I had been sick for a very long time, even before the coronavirus issue came up. I had speedily rushed to my village in Zuru local government area of Kebbi state for local treatment, and thank God when I started recovering, I composed some programmes and aired them through Youtube. Thereafter, people knew right away that I had recovered, and let me tell you that nobody actually paid me for the programme even as it was widely accepted. This was because thousands of people viewed it and, as you are aware, that has fetched me a lot of fortune and also made me more popular.
When you fully recover from your ailment, will you return to the industry or will you want to settle down as a housewife?
I have a very tall ambition, which is to be a successful actress, and I have partially achieved that. I also intend going back to school to further my education, my comedy programme will also continue to appear on social media platforms, especially on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. But most importantly, I will return to active acting and production; what I mean is that I will combine acting with film production. I am thinking of registering my own company, Zeepreety Multimedia, which will be a multi-purpose effort that will handle film production, online publications, acting, modelling, fashion designing and a host of others.
Are you into any serious relationship?
Although we are now speaking on the phone, whenever we met, you always acknowledged my beauty and friendly posture. Well, I am not only into a relationship; I have honestly lost count of the people that are interested in dating me. Some are even ready to marry me immediately if I say ‘yes’ to them as an answer; so to say I am into a relationship is an understatement, but if I am to be specific, ‘yes’ I have a boyfriend. However, we are into a platonic relationship, I am sure you know what I mean; you also alleged that I was under a spell or some people used juju to destroy me, but this we cannot discuss in detail on the phone. In the near future, however, if time permits, I will move to Kano to continue with my life. I have already opened a boutique in Sokoto; we can then sit down and discuss this in detail, but for now, please tell my fans that I am recovering fast and that very soon, I will return to acting, full time.
Why would you not accept the fact that because of your rising profile, your enemies could actually try to kill you through juju?
Yes, it is possible; in fact, some of my close friends are the ones that advised me to go to the village and treat myself in the local way because the nature of my sickness is not for modern medicine. I may, therefore, believe the alleged attempt to kill me through juju, but as a practising Muslim, I don’t believe that somebody can kill me through juju.
Recently, you were quoted on social media as saying that you were tired of acting and that you would rather get married. Yet, you said moments ago that you have uncountable suitors; why have you not settled for any one of them?
The truth is that there is nothing new in Kannywood; I have explored all that I can achieve in the industry, and I feel it is better now that I am still young and beautiful to get married and bear my own children. This is because I don’t want to stay longer than necessary and be a liability to my parents.
