Olaiya Igwe Opens Up on Tribal Marks, Shares Surprising Reason He Regretted Having Them

• Nollywood veteran Olaiya Igwe has opened up about why he personally asked for tribal marks as a child despite family tradition saying otherwise
• The actor shared details about growing up in a polygamous household with six wives and explained why his view later changed completely
• Olaiya also spoke about DNA, and what made him finally appreciate his tribal marks again years later

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Veteran Nollywood actor Olaiya Igwe has spoken about one of the most visible parts of his identity, his tribal marks.

The respected revealed that he once admired tribal marks so much that he personally begged to have them.

According to him, he was fascinated by how attractive and bold they looked while growing up.

But years later, his feelings took a very different turn.

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Olaiya disclosed this in a recent interview with Agbaletu TV.

The actor disclosed that after understanding more about the meaning and history behind tribal marks, he unexpectedly began to dislike his own.

Speaking further, Olaiya Igwe opened up about his upbringing in a large polygamous household.

He revealed that his father had six wives, although only five had children.

His mother, he said, was the second-to-last wife. In their family, tradition required only the first child from each wife to bear tribal marks.

“In my family, my dad had six wives but only five gave birth and my mom was the second to the last. Traditionally, only the first born from each wife was mandated to have tribal marks, but because I was very sharp, I requested for it,” he said.

That childhood decision stayed with him. However, maturity brought a different understanding.

“But when I eventually understood the meaning of tribal marks, I started to dislike it. I realised it wasn’t really our culture; it was lack of exposure,” he added.

Olaiya Igwe also weighed in on how modern society has changed cultural practices.

According to him, technology and improved systems have made identification easier than before.

He questioned whether tribal marks still hold the same practical value.

“Does it stand as DNA? No. These days, DNA can expose who truly belongs to a family,” he explained.

The actor also noted that someone could mark every child believing they belong to one lineage, only for science to later reveal something entirely different.

Still, there was another twist.

After years of mixed feelings, Olaiya said seeing legendary actors Ade Love and Sunday Omobolanle proudly carrying theirs made him appreciate his marks again.

He admitted that watching them helped him reconnect with that part of himself.

Watch the interview here:

Why Olaiya Igwe prostrated to MC Oluomo

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Olaiya Igwe became a beneficiary of former National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) MC Oluomo's benevolence.

A video showed the emotional moment Oluomo gifted the actor a new Benz. Olaiya, who was surprised over the gift, ran to catch up with Oluomo, fell to the floor in prostration, and rolled around.