Laide Bakare, a Nollywood actress, has encouraged career-oriented women to choose having children over marriage.

The actress made this statement while discussing her thoughts on how to achieve long-term professional success.

Bakare stated in an interview with Nollywood On Radio that marriage is not required to start a family, citing her personal experience.
"If you want to be a successful celebrity as a young girl, I would urge you to marry and have children as soon as possible so that you may devote the rest of your life to advancing your career, since the family is very vital.

"I understand that getting married early can lead to divorce, but I am referring to beginning a family early. Perhaps I should retract that statement because I do not mean marriage. I didn't consider marriage when I had my first child; all I wanted was a baby.

"So the advice is not to get married early but start having a family."

TalkTalk Nigeria reports that the 43-year-old Laide was previously married to Olumide Kunfulire, with whom she had a daughter named Simi in 2008.

Bakare married Tunde Oriowo, a Lagos socialite, for the second time in 2013. They have two boys together.