Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Nollywood actress, says any woman who goes into marriage without a defined source of income will end up as a slave in the union.

The movie star spoke during a recent interview with BBC Yoruba wherein she reflected on her experience getting married at the age of 18 and career strides.

According to her, women should not consider marriage until they have a source of livelihood and are matured enough to handle challenges that come their way.

The actress said she got married at 18 because she was already financially buoyant and mentally prepared for it at the time.

Omotola added that the demise of her father, while she was young, aided her maturity and ability to deal with responsibilities.

“When I got married and above all, I was mature when I met my husband. Currently, I have only one child that is 18 years old, so the question is late. He is a boy and peradventure, he says he wants to get married, I will not allow it because he does not have his own money now. One must apply wisdom or common sense in everything one does,” she said.

“People cannot say that because I married at 18, therefore they can also do it. The question is, ‘are you ready for marriage’? When I was at that age, I was ready. I had been working since I was 15-years-old and I had become a millionaire at the age of 18. That is a fact that a lot of people don’t know.

“I had my own money. I was not dependent on any man. Moreover, my father died early, so I was already responsible for my younger siblings. I was like their mother at that time, so I was very mature and financially prepared.

“One should not marry a man when one is not financially stable. If one does that, one would be going into slavery or better still, prison. If any of my children, after considering all these factors, say they are ready for marriage, we (parents) would meet the person and if we like them, we would give them our blessings.”

Omotola and Matthew Ekeinde tied the knot in 1996. The union has been blessed with four children.