ANEKE TWINS "WE SOLD PURE WATER AND GROUNDNUTS"

CHIDINMA AND CHIDIEBERE

The first time I met them they were very young impressionable girls. I'd been invited to shoot the movie TANSI in Enugu. My executive producer Chief Pete Edochie had taken me  to the Naiko Hotels at awkananaw to meet with other members of cast and these two girls had walked in. There was no doubt that they were twins what struck me was how similar they really were. You just could not differentiate one from the other. We had gotten acquainted and they with their elder sister who also is an actress became close friends.
They didn't look like they were going to go far in the industry but if there is one thing that has characterized the growth of this two young women in Nollywood it is there dogged determination to succeed against all odds. It is that determination that has taken them from the streets of Enugu where they hawked pure water and groundnuts to becoming a-list actresses, award winners, producers and consummate business women. Chidimma and Chidebere have become very popular in Nollywood and have come of age. What they have not forgoten in their walk from grass to glory however, is their humble beginnings and who has brought them this far.
Chidiebere is a Business Administration graduate while Chidimma is a Mass Communication graduate from the Insititute of Management Technology Enugu. They also hold  BCC, Basic Leadership and Leadership Certificate Courses LCC, from Word of Faith Bible Insititute of the  Winners Chapel. That effectively qualifies both of them to become ministers of the word.
And if you  talk with this two, half the conversation revolves around how grateful they are about what God has done from them in their lives.

Chidimma and Chidiebere walked into our Surulere offices some time back, and after accusing me of abandoning them over the years we got down to reliving old times.

QUESTION: How did it start for you girls

CHIDIEBERE AND CHIDIMMA

CHIDINMA: Our elder sister started acting before us and  was a very good friend of Chiege Alisigwe who then was working on a movie and they said they needed twins so  they cast us

CHIDIEBERE: I think it was the movie Ibuka which was directed by Launcelot Odua Imasuen then Chidi was cast in Agbara. i think it was directed by Andy Amenechi

QUESTION: You people left the industry once for a long while.

CHIDINMA: Our mother insisted that we should complete our education first so we had to go back to school and finish up. When we finish we came back immediately and that wa when we did our first movie BROKEN AMBITION.

CHIDIEBERE: Producing that first movie was not a funny experience at all. We first had to go to God and ask him to show us if this is what HE wanted us to do because he who gives you a vision also gives you a pro vision. We still do not know how we got the money for the movie but from their we have done so many others and we keep growing.

CHIDINMA: Our last movie National Experience  won the Code Of Public Conduct award at the Home Vida Awards. and we hope to win more awards as we keep growing by God's grace

QUESTION: Almost a month ago you girls celebrated your birthday with children from motherless babies homes in Lagos. What motivated that?

THE ANEKE TWINS

CHDINMA: We have always celebrated our birthday with the underprivileged, especially in our Enugu base. This year we were in Lagos to do some work on one of our movies when our birthday came by so we  decided to share our day with them.


CHIDIEBERE
You know you can walk in and hand over gifts and presents but it is not the same thing  like sharing the day with them. It is our way of saying thank you to God for helping us out of poverty, not that we are rich but we are not begging food on the street nor are we selling pure water and groundnuts anymore. We are grateful

It was a brief chat because Chidimma and Chidiebere had to ash across town to Lekki because they had the keys of the house they were staying in, thereby locking out their landlords. The CEO's of Greenville Productions gave out hugs and kisses all around. They might not be the biggest female producers and actresses in Nollywood but they are well on their way. We can attest to that because we know where they are coming from.