I didn’t know my dad until I was 16 –Elesho’s son

How has life been as a son of Elesho?

It’s been cool and quite easy as the name of my father has been paving the way for me even in places I couldn’t imagine. His name made a lot of opportunities come easy. At the same time, I have my father to thank for building such a name which his children are proud of today. To the glory of God, his name has really helped me.

 

What were the challenges you faced at the early stages of your career?

There were a lot of challenges that I can’t even start talking about. My dad and I just became friends in recent years. I didn’t get to know him until I was 16. It seems when there is a striking resemblance between a particular child and the parents, there is a possibility that such child and the parents would tend to always have misunderstandings. I guess that’s an explanation for why my dad and I were always at loggerheads. He never wanted me to go into entertainment or acting but the fact was that it was in my blood to act. At a point, I decided to leave acting and try something entirely different. My father wanted me to study law and I decided to give law a shot, but it wasn’t just my thing.

 

Was it comedy skits you started with?

I started with a group in secondary school the principal gave us the go-ahead to hold rehearsals every Wednesday and he gave us a hall to use. When I finished secondary school, I gathered the group I had formed in secondary school. We were up to 50 then and they paid N2,500 to obtain forms. So, we visited schools and picked plays from the literature texts. We would then stage a play from it which served as their continuous assessment. After a while, I stopped the stage plays, then came the first movie I produced but the quality was below par. The marketers rejected it. I went to Idumota and Alaba with a friend,  but the film was not given any consideration. We had to print posters and jackets and sold it ourselves. I did two more movies after, but there was little success. That was when I took a break.

 

When did you consider making comic skits?

I started before the arrival of Instagram. I am a cinematographer; I shoot movies. During my university days, I shot videos which didn’t last more than five minutes. There was a place on campus then called Fork and Fingers, I took my videos there. I made about 12 videos then, copied them to a flash and paid for the videos to be displayed on a television screen at the Forks and Fingers restaurant at the Obafemi Awolowo University campus. From there, I started gaining attention. Arole who is now a popular comedian was a colleague then and there was a day we met in class and I saw two phones with him. I asked him how he came by them. He said he got them through Instagram. It was until I got home and saw Arole’s skit on my dad’s phone that I understood what he meant. I got a phone too and opened an Instagram account. It was from there I started uploading my comedy skits. I opened about three accounts and it was the third that started attracting followers. The comedy skit I made about Davido and Chioma brought me into limelight and many people began to know who I am.

 

Did you get your funny side from your father?

I was 16 years old before I set my eyes on my father. Before then, I only knew my father as the actor people pointed out to me in movies. While I was young, elderly people would call me into their midst, asking me to crack jokes and make them laugh, even when I had not known Elesho was my father.

 

How did you come by your dark complexion since your father is fair and some consider him as an albino?

I would say my siblings and I got our dark complexion from our mother. None of my siblings are fair like my father. So our mother’s gene must have been so strong to suppress our father’s gene in terms of complexion.

 

How would you describe your father ever since you got to know him?

My father is a disciplinarian. How he trained us really helped shape whom my siblings and I have become today. I may not be where I am today if he tolerated all my excesses. I have his strict nature to thank as he brought us up well. What you see on set is the real person. He talks more than what people even see on set. Now we joke a lot. He plays a lot and there is no way you would spend time with him without laughing. He is fun to be with.

 

How are you dealing with the pressure to stand out in the comedy line?

I have been consistent with my style, kept on doing what brought me into the limelight. I have not departed from what I started with. A slight shift might get one distracted and lose focus, but consistency has been my watchword. The number of followers I have now are my believers and for them to have stayed with me all these while, it showed that they believe in what I am doing.

 

What do you do for your leisure time?

I don’t pretend. I know I’m very local. I prefer to stay at home and enjoy myself. I prefer a serene environment as I’m not the type who goes to clubs. Although I go to club with my friends on the Island occasionally, I’d rather stay back at home and relax with whatever attracts my fancy. A cool drink and a plate of pepper soup would make my day for leisure whenever I stay back at home.

 

What should your fans expect this year?

Expect more crazy and funny comedy skits from me this year. This year is going to be a year of hard work and there are plans to make it memorable. Many people are bored, tired and you know with the way things are presently in the country, people need videos that would make their day and ease their worries. So, my fans should expect more from me this year.